Focus On The Systems

I was in a business review with a colleague this afternoon, and as we discussed our progress, I felt that my young colleague was struggling with his execution priorities. The goals he set for himself were very ambitious, and no matter all the good work he was putting in, it felt like there was no real progress or results to show. I could sense that the conversation was making him feel discouraged, and he needed some guidance on how to better manage his priorities. 

That’s when I shared a core philosophy I use to manage my daily affairs. 

By converting my most important goals into systems, I’ve found a method that has significantly contributed to my success, particularly when pursuing challenging goals.

Here’s how my system-versus-goal model works:

• Goal: Grow my business topline revenue by 100%. System: Track the revenue my business generates daily.
• Goal: Acquire 50 new clients in the year. System: Connect with and converse with at least one new contact daily.
• Goal: Become a skilled salesperson. System: Listen to sales-related podcasts every day on the way to work.

This approach works for my non-work priorities, too:

• Goal: Maintain a healthy weight. System: Eat right daily.
•  Goal: Stay fit. System: Exercise daily.

When I’m goal-oriented, I’m in a perpetual state of playing catch-up, feeling successful only if I achieve my goal. Until I attain the goal, I have to grapple with feelings of discouragement. But when I convert my goals into systems, my focus shifts from the goal to the actions I need to take. A significant benefit of a system approach is that it allows me to concentrate on actions rather than the end goal, ensuring my energy and focus are directed toward the right tasks. In contrast to the feeling of being constantly behind when I have a goal focus, I feel good every time I apply my systems approach.

The bottomline is this: If you do something every day, it’s a system. If you’re waiting to achieve it someday, it’s a goal. So, focus on the systems to get to the goals !!