Do you think in terms of Systems?

That many situations involve multiple players making multiple moves over time?

Always focus First on Removing Restraining Forces rather than Increasing Driving Forces

For that which you oppose, you strengthen, i.e. your action causes those in support to rally.

Ask “WHY” is this situation so? What causes it to be? Why are others acting/believing so?

What is the interest behind the position? How can I address that interest in a beneficial way?

Many things involve “Linked Decisions”?

Like putting one foot on a slippery slope; one commitment leads inexorably to the next

That whatever you do will create a response that you must anticipate will be effective?

The consequences of which will not all be obvious, some of which may be distant in time and space?

That treating things as one-off’s dooms you to be like Sisyphus and his boulder; endlessly repeating the same “solution”?

You must ALWAYS solve the problem, THEN fix the systems that allowed it to happen.

Closing Quotes:

“Everything affects everything else in one way or another. Whether you are aware of that or not does not change the fact that this is what is happening. That’s why I say a business is a system. This systems perspective reminds us that this is what is going on. And when you see it this way, you can manage your business better. You appreciate, for example, that any action will reverberate throughout the entire company. This causes you to pay more attention to what you do, and learn the right lessons from your experience.” – John Woods

“A bad system will beat a good person every time. If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing” – W. Edwards Deming

“I always look to the system for a solution. If a challenge arises, I use a system correction before I look for a people correction. I use a system solution in my innovation rather than a people solution.” – Brad Sugars

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier