I know a lot of us may never have heard about systems thinking, and of course it sounds foreign and boring at the same time! I remember reading Peter Senge's book called the Fifth Discipline, and began to "sorta" understand what systems thinking was really all about. To me it was about being able to handle complexity.
All through my grown up life, I've been attempting to understand how complex is complex. And I only came to realize that complexity is a function of our capabilities. If you are more capable (i.e. you developed more skills and talents to handle more productively), you will be more able to handle complexity.
Systems, for all its complexity, are easy to understand. The only pre-requisite is that you have been involved in it before. I do believe, however, that people who are highly skilled in systems aren't really the best at executing the systems themselves. After all, have you seen a surgeon do self-surgery?
So what exactly is that system? We all know that in marketing and business, you need to develop a really powerful understanding of your processes and systems. In my opinion, Brad Semp is one of the masters of systems and primarily because he drills down in such detail about systems and processes, he would probably help you save a ton of money simply through documentation of your processes.
A system, when defined effectively, can be outsourced, monitored and improved. Without a system in place, you can't evaluate what is going right and going wrong. For instance, many people are afraid of launching their products because of what is going to go wrong. Unfortunately, if you don't test your system, you will never know what will go wrong and you will never be able to tell how to improve it. Systems give us feedback, and I suggest you let your system run its course. Perfection doesn't exist in this world!
So, for the simple mind, how is it possible to develop systems intelligence? Well, for one, start charting steps! that's the easiest way to start off. Later, you will see different steps connecting with each other. Draw or map out your charts in a way that gets you an overview and schematic of your system. See if someone else understands and can replicate your system. If you are able to do just this, you will have trained yourself to develop a simple system.
For more assistance on systems and documentation of your processes, I'd suggest you visit Brad Semp's www.Cashmap.com.
