(2023-03-12) Cutler Tbm205 Process Vs Systems Habits

John Cutler: TBM 205: "Process" vs. Systems & Habits.

Team A writes a one-pager as part of a heavyweight annual planning process. No 1-pager, no budget.

Team B writes 1-pagers to workshop and shape ideas. They do this all the time, not just when leadership makes an ask. People read carefully and provide thoughtful feedback

Team A's process is not customer-centric.

Team A probably views this as "administrative overhead" and jokes that the whole plan will fall apart in two months anyway. All in all, it's institutionalized mediocrity.

Team B’s process is “just how they work.” It is valuable, not one-sided. It is part of their work culture.

Team A (and their company) exists in a wicked loop. They have no incentive to keep their house in order because top-down, reactive changes will mess everything up anyway.

Meanwhile, imagine you are in the C-suite of Team A's company. I can guarantee someone is saying something like: Well, I'm not sure Team A has a strategy, and they're immature. So we will have to provide one!

Team B, on the other hand, benefits from layers of positive habits.

They run their team like a mini-business—designed to be autonomous yet aligned with the company

You have to figure out how to break the loop and establish human-centric systems and helpful/valuable habits. (Agility, Context, and Team Agency)