System or People: Where are you having the biggest problem?

by Gregory Neil on July 21, 2010

Do you invest in making better systems, or do you invest in making better people? Which one has the best ROI?

Systems people say design the business so anyone can do it. Hire the cheapest person you can get. (McDonalds perfected this.) Now, you have a business model designed to compete on price.

Works really WELL if you’re selling burgers…

When you have a business designed for people to follow instructions, and you staff up with the most “cost effective” people to run it, leadership, innovation, creativity, and real thinking get left out of the equation.

The real dilemma of choice is between people who are easily replaced vs. people with skills that are indispensible and hard to find.

The choice you make will determine how well your business model works. I guess it comes down to the question-What are you selling?

Invitation to action: Take a moment and look at the quality of the people working for you. Do they require constant supervision and need to be told specific instructions? Do they have the ability to think on their feet and deal with unexpected issues as they arise? Are they being used to their greatest strengths? Do you have to call all the shots and troubleshoot all the problems?

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