Why Every Successful Company Must Build A Culture Of Systems

A company is only as good as its systems.

Early in my career, I didn’t know the value of procedures. I figured we’d do things as they sprung up, which led me to spin out of control and put out fires more often than I’d like to reminisce on.

We were profoundly unproductive.

As I speak to small business leaders, it’s shocking how common it is that established companies don’t have well-defined procedures for things they do regularly.

Systems are non-negotiable.

Most people think procedures are about turning humans into robots.

The opposite is true. Systems build consistency into an organization, so the humans in the company have the mental energy to focus on higher-level activities.

When the leaders of a company don’t enforce systems or neglect their importance, a company breeds in a sea of mediocrity or poor performance.

The “managers who are preoccupied with pleasing everyone, offending no one and prepared to compromise everything they believe in” are “incapable of adopting and implementing the systems required to lead a company to increased productivity,” wrote Jason Jennings.