The Invisible Systems That Run Your Consulting Business

So if that begins to make sense to you let me give you something to check to help you see if you have invisible systems. So one example is if you're getting the same core results over and over. You know what you want and every time you try to get that thing done the result is substandard or subpar you have an invisible system. You don't really know how it gets done you just are subject to whatever it creates.

The second example is you don't know how a certain result is achieved all you know is you press a button something pops out. You send an e-mail and something pops out. You ask an employee and something pops out but you really don't know what the process is to get that end result done for you or have it provided to you. That's an invisible system.

Another example is you only do a specific task when something breaks. So you only work the process in response to something. Something happens and you scramble around to fix it and then at the last second or the last minute you end up in a rush to fix it. That's an invisible system. You don't really know what you're doing you're just scrambling around trying to solve it.

So these things because they're invisible you can't see them and because you can't see them you can't manage them and make sure that you're getting the most out of them. So what's your challenge? Your challenge is to develop better systems. So here's something to think about. First of all, get a clear picture of what you really want. You've got to be clear on the front end of what you want this process to kick out or spit out, or provide on the back side.

Second is you've got to create metrics you can believe in. So the only way you know the system is working is if you can count it as it goes. If you can measure everything up as it goes. So however you believe you can measure that in your system be deliberate, be sharp about what those methods are and count them so you can be sure that you're getting the results that you want.

The third is commit to the process. So it takes time to define any system invisible or not and if it's invisible to you you might get a little frustrated on the front side because now you can finally see what you weren't seeing before and it may bother you a little bit . So commit to the process of refining that system.

And then fourth is get some help either internally from your existing employees to get their feedback from them or externally with a consultant, or coach, or some other friend or expert and see if they can help you point to, pinpoint that invisible system and then refine it as you need to. The major point here is that you do not want to be subject to a system that you can't see. You want to be able to see everything that's going on in your business. You want to be able to understand everything that's going on your business so you can have the most control over how successful you're going to be in your business.