Observations from the intersection of systems thinking and human behavior.
You just spent $50,000 on enterprise software that promises to revolutionize your operations. Six months later, your best operations manager quits. This isn't coincidence—it's pattern.
The uncomfortable truth: New software usually makes good operators' jobs harder, not easier. They've spent years building workarounds for your broken processes. They have private spreadsheets that actually run your business. They've created informal communication channels that bypass your official workflows.
When you implement new software without fixing the underlying processes, you're not eliminating problems—you're destroying the solutions your best people built to survive them.
If it takes longer than 10 minutes to document a process, the process is too complex. This isn't about your documentation skills—it's about the process itself.
Complex processes don't start complex. They accumulate exceptions like barnacles. "Do X, unless it's Tuesday." "Follow this workflow, except for California clients." "Use this form, but if Sarah's out, email Mike instead."
"Every exception in your process is a future failure point."
The solution isn't better documentation. It's removing exceptions until the process fits on an index card. Your team will thank you, and more importantly, they'll actually follow it.
Every technician who says "I don't have time for documentation" now has AI that can transcribe voice notes. Every manager drowning in email has AI that can draft responses. Every analyst spending days on reports has AI that can process data in minutes.
The new reality: The busy work that used to justify headcount is disappearing. What remains is the work humans uniquely do—building relationships, making judgment calls, creating strategy.
If your value was hiding in being busy, AI just turned on the lights. If your value is in thinking, deciding, and connecting, AI just became your superpower.
I've audited dozens of companies. The pattern is universal: Everyone knows what's broken. The receptionist knows the phone system is garbage. The warehouse team knows the inventory process makes no sense. The sales team knows the CRM is lying to everyone.
They're not waiting for solutions. They're waiting for permission to implement the solutions they already have.
Most operational transformations don't require consultants or software or investment. They require someone in leadership to say: "If you see something stupid, you have permission to fix it."
The next time you hire a consultant to tell you what's wrong with your operations, try this instead: Ask your team what they would fix if they knew they wouldn't get in trouble. Then let them fix it.
Currently documenting lessons from recent client transformations.
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