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The Four Agreements in the Workplace – Class 2½ – Business Systems – inspired by the wisdom of don Miguel Ruiz

By Kevin Murray

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

In Class 2, I mentioned Business Systems and I’d like to expand on that – (expansion recommendation by Meghan McChesney Gilroy-the wise.)

What are business systems? And where are they in your business? They are in everything, behind everything and everywhere all the time. Really.

Why are Business Systems important? Because all the results that you and your business create will flow from the systems you have. And results are Profitability, Employee retention, Client satisfaction etc. i.e. Big Important Results. I’d say that primary divisions of systems in any enterprise are systems that: 1) Generate Leads 2) Convert Leads to Clients and 3) Fulfill on whatever it is that your clients want you to do.

Sometimes it is hard to see the systems operating in your own business. As Mr. Deming said “A system can not understand itself. The transformation requires a view from outside.” A fairly Toltec point of view, don’t you think? If you’d like to borrow an external point-of-view to look at your business, call me or email me, this is part of my Coaching practice.

One big distinction that helps is that these systems exist on a continuum from very informal to very formal. The way the phone is answered is a business system. If it is scripted and the same all the time no matter who answers, then it is likely a formal system. If the way the phone is answered changes depending on who answers or how they are feeling, it is a rather informal system, yet it is a system none the less.

If you chunk your business processes down to the things that happen between the time a prospective client first learns about you to the time you have a satisfied new client (providing referrals) then all of these little pieces are parts of the Overall system and can be systems in and of themselves. It may seem silly or busy work to try and define systems for minutiae like opening mail, checking phone messages etc, but much organizational energy is wasted by having the same things done different ways at different times by different people. And you aren’t going to maximize the results you want if your systems are informal and/or not adhered to. Let’s say that you do a mailer to 300 people once a month. A good system might include a checklist with how you print, copy, fold, where the forms are on the computer, database maintenance instructions etc. Another system might be to approach it like it’s a new task every time. Can you see that there might be, if not a “best” way, at least a “better” way to do this task that would benefit from systemization?

Another system example that is very big in my business is the Proposal System. If I didn’t have a solid system and process for reviewing project needs and itemizing costs, labor and material inputs, I wouldn’t have much control over project profitability. I don’t do this different ways. I have what is currently “the best” way to do it. I say “currently” because my systems are dynamic and changing and always being improved!!! [ wow 3 exclamation points-that must be really important]

I would not counsel you to break everything down this way, and it is usually best to let the people working “in” the system to work “on” the system – they’ll feel more ownership and system shifts will more likely stick. [for extra credit- say "Sticky System Shifts " 3 times out loud real fast - and send me a comment- you'll earn 10 Toltec points]

*Big System-Shifting Recommendation* – work on the systems that will yield big results quickly and that will reduce areas of upset. If we borrow the idea from Class 2 that says that personal upsets point to systems issues, follow this through to find where are the most upsets in the business. Is Shipping not shipping well and creating big headaches? Are there quality issues requiring costly rework? Are computer issues slowing down everyone’s productivity? Wherever there are big upsets, there’s a strong clue that a systems shift could be warranted.

Some shifts are very easy and quick and can implemented without any costs. A great example is a retail store with their informal greeting system. How many times have Sales Associates come up to you and said “Can I help you with anything?” Usually we say no, maybe yes, but this is a closed-end, yes or no question with a strong chance of ending the conversation. In a new more formal system, the Sales Associate might ask ” What brings you in to our store today?” This might begin a conversation to help this customer buy something they wanted. It’s a small system shift, but it could create a great difference over a volume of visitors.

Where do you see systems in your business that are causing you, your employees and clients distress? A great piece of homework [thanks to Joanne Dunleavy] is to look for and write down all the systems you see next time you go out for a meal. It’s quite eye opening. With just a small shift in your own attention, you can become a great Systems Thinker.

For Class 1 of this series- click here

For Class 2 of this series- click here – for “Don’t Take Anything Personally”

For Class 3 of this series- click here – for “Dont Make Assumptions”

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