How can systems help when it is all going to hell in a hand basket?

 

Many business owners resist putting systems in place because there is just too much going on and they can’t see how systems can even stay intact. let alone help with emergency situations. And there are always emergency situations.

How to deal

When I was a construction manager, my crews would come into my office and say there was an emergency. I would pick up the phone (this was before everyone had a cell phone) and ask, “Ambulance, Police or Fire Service?” It was never one of those. It was a problem that had to be dealt with. The biggest problem we had was when the building inspector shut us down. I went to him with an attitude of let’s work together to get this thing back on track. Half hour later we were back in business. Other builders were shocked to see our crews back on site so soon. This story illustrates many components of dealing with ’emergencies’ and we will unpack them here.

Put it in context

Unless there is blood or imminent loss of life, it is not an emergency. It could be a very major problem but it isn’t an emergency. You will be able to deal with it better if you are not in high fight or flight mode. Dig in, find out the problem and fix it. I approached the building inspector in that way. I was inquiring what we needed to do to comply. I made it clear that our only intention is to do what was right and somehow our needs clashed and my desire was to out everything in order. He was used to project managers yelling and blaming. When it is in context you can take a constructive approach.

Build Slack into your system

Shit happens. All the time.

If your business is running on the edge you don’t leave yourself any wiggle room to deal with the inevitable snafus as they show up. You end up making decisions based on what is right in the moment rather than what is right for the business and everyone involved. Those two decisions are rarely the same.

Your people are willing to step up when required, until the are required to step up all the time. You know those businesses where everyone seems to be on high-alert all the time. There is a toxic sort of energy in the air. Rather than the creative hum of energy. Build slack into your system so you aren’t burning your people out.

Your customers can be forgiving, too. For a while. If your aisles are always full of product waiting to be shelved, or your turn around time stays longer than industry standard or you can’t get the parts you need to complete the work, your customers will go elsewhere. Build slack into your system.

This is where systems shine. You design them during the best of times and that gives you the luxury of seeing where you can add the slack you need.

Learn as you go

Every time you deal with an emergency, take time afterwards to study what happened. Is there something about your system that triggered the problem? How can you avoid that problem and any others like it? Is there a procedure you can put in place for how to deal quickly with similar situations.

Each of these situations is an opportunity to fine tune your systems.

Empower your people

Your team are in the thick of your business and can see problems before they get so big. Empower them with the ability to head problems off. When you people are clear on what outcomes you want, what your culture is and where their authority extends, they will be able to confidently handle most problems before they become too big.

Take some time after every snafu to figure out where and how it could be avoided in future. It’s important to do this without blame. Blame gets in the way of an effective team working together.

Your systems will give them what they need to know.

Systems make it easier to run your business. Systems help you weather the inevitable problems that come your way. Systems help you avert many problems or deal with them when they are small.

Well-run companies have great systems.

Your Effortless Business as Algorithms

An algorithm is a methodical set of steps that produces a predictable result. That’s what you want your business to be, because a business that runs smoothly and predictably will make your life easier.

While life, people and business can be unpredictable, you can design most of that out of your business with the right algorithms. Your business can be set up to take most of the unpredictability out by designing your algorithm/business to respond predictably to events. Most events are predictable, even if they are unforeseen. We don’t spend enough time thinking through the possibilities.

Some people think of fast food restaurants when they think of predictability (and not in a good way). They want to offer a more personalized service. Reframe it this way, the more predictable you make most of your business, the more ability you have to offer a higher quality service where it can have the most impact..

Predictable may sound boring to you, but your customers and your team want to know what they are getting and what to expect when they come to you.

Your business can be a series of logical steps that you, your customers and your team take to reach the outcome you each desire. The clearer you are on what outcomes you want to achieve for each of these people, the easier it is for you to design these algorithms. String enough algorithms together and you create journeys that attract the right people, engage them in your business and make them feel served and delighted.

That is the way business should be.

An algorithm can be as simple as a checklist outlining the steps you take to complete a task. It can include if/then statements. For instance, IF the customer in front of you in your store is from out of town, THEN you offer a shipping home option and here are the steps you follow to make that happen. IF your customer stalls on the work you are doing together because she gets stuck on a piece of technology, THEN you offer her a mini course on that technology, or a VIP day to get her past her snafu.

Let’s look at an example. Your team journey can be made up of these algorithms:

  1. Attract the best: Tell the stories of your best team members
  2. Engage:
    1. Have a Join my team link on your website
    2. Ongoing growth plan – skills assessment and inventory
    3. Interview process
    4. Onboarding process
  3. Serve and Delight
    1. Project management
    2. Individual team member check ins

Each of those algorithms takes a series of steps that can include processes, forms, checklists and may include if/then statements that stream people or information to the appropriate place.

Most of that work can be done once and reused every time you need someone to take the Team journey. For instance, the Join My Team link would be a package they could download or forms they can fill in so you know what skills they have. You may include a step that starts the process of checking in with values, attitudes and worldviews. The interview algorithm and the onboarding algorithm are both pretty standard algorithms you can set up.

Some of those algorithms  such as the ongoing growth plan – skills assessment and inventory will be a process that is followed regularly and the outcome will be added to this journey. As you identify skills you need to add to your business, you trigger certain algorithms in the team journey such as checking to see who has completed the Join My Team algorithm with the necessary skills.

You can have a business that grows steadily and predictably with team members who know what they are doing and how they fit in. Or you can have a business with high turnover, lots of drama, and skills gaps that make everyone struggle to meet outcomes. It all comes down to algorithms.

Find out the Essential Eleven Algorithms in Your Effortless Business Template below