What Works | Small Business Podcast With Tara Mcmullin

Systems have a reputation. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, as I have, “Oh, I’m just not a systems person,” you might know what I mean. Often, the way we talk about systems is tangled up in talk about software, procedures, rules, and a sort of legalistic structure for “this is how we do things here.” When you say, “I’m not a systems person,” you’re likely expressing the kind of claustrophobic feeling that comes from being confined to a set of rules—even if they’re rules you yourself created! When you say, “I am a systems person,” you might very well be expressing the relief that having clear instructions and a solid expectation of how a goal is accomplished can deliver. Systems are a way of easing anxiety for you. I can easily find myself in both camps. I might identify as a “systems person” in the morning and “not a systems person” by the afternoon. And I’ve noticed that, for me, there’s a moral component to how I’m feeling about systems at any given time. When I’m feeli