Systems make all the difference

If you work on a team doing any amount of knowledge-work, it’s tempting to assume that it’s the people you work with (and the things they do well) that makes the group successful.

Because, of course, to make it work, you need to hire folks who know what they’re doing and can counted on to deliver results.

But I think what makes a first-rate group successful—more than the services they provide—is the behind-the-scenes systems that enable the team to thrive.

It doesn’t make sense to sell a course about “how to scale an agency,” let alone start one, and more or less provide a step-by-step of all the things your teammates do.

90% of the time, what they do is irrelevant and generic—it's the same "process" across thousands of teams—with small, almost negligible variations.

No. What matters are the systems of good management, communication, accountability, and automation that make the operation possible. That enable everyone to do what they’re good at without guesswork or micro-managing or miscommunication.

A strong team is built on the foundation of efficient and effective systems. And it’s systems—not frameworks, methods, or techniques—that make the difference between surviving and thriving.