Transcript of a live session (Systems Champion certification) led by David Jenyns about building transparency in systems-driven businesses. Early discussion frames transparency as visibility across departments, reducing silos, training and making information accessible, creating roadmaps/critical client flows, and identifying/mitigating "black boxes" while balancing specialist privacy. Participants Michael O'Grady and Namiki offer examples and practical tactics.
Chapters
Foundational in what it is that we are trying to build. When we build a systems driven business now, the software is going to be part of that, the onboarding is part of that. We obviously want to make sure that everything happens out in the open. But I want to kind of dig into why this is so important and then which tools are going to help us achieve that outcome. So my first question is, when you think about transparency, what comes to mind? Like what does building a transparent organization mean? I'll just do a quick stop share so that way you can stick up your hand, feel free to unmute yourself. Let's get a little bit of dialogue going on. When I say build a transparent organization, what does that mean for you? Is anyone familiar with the word transparent? Have you heard that word before? Okay. Yep. Michael. Okay. So Michael, do you want to unmute yourself for a second and just tell me a little bit. When I say transparent, what that's for you, Michael o', Grady, what comes to mind.
If you can.
Yeah, I think I agree with a few of the, the comments already. Just, you know, visibility, visibility across the business, visibility across the different departments.
Yeah, yep, I reckon that's perfect. Does anyone else have any ideas? And I suppose Michael touched on a couple of them around the. How do we make something transparent? Does anyone have any suggestions? I mean, I think having it visible, but what does visible actually mean? Like when I say let's make it visible. Does anyone have any thoughts on what are the actual mechanics of what you can do to make something visible and out in the open? Does anyone have any suggestions? Namiki?
David, Sorry.
Oh, sorry.
I think it's about training and making it really front and center that this is, you know, what we need to do to make sure everybody understands. And I think there's often we get silos, we want no silos. Understanding what I do and how it affects others for good or bad and making sure that we pick up on those things and share how to do it better, why it's important and making the information accessible.
Yeah, love that, Namiki.
Yeah, I think when someone's been around that long and you know, they feel very comfortable in that space, it's a very, you know, sort of walking on eggshells in some, in some areas when you're going to sort of create a bit of a change for them and it's a major change. But I'm thinking maybe a roadmap of how things operate in the business similarly, either the critical client flow or similar to that and then drag in everyone's roles and say, wow, you know, you do this very important piece but we need some more flow around what we all do, like bring it back into the whole team.
And then start to start to get in some buy in. Now I mean, you know, I work, I work with businesses who, you know, for example.
Eye clinics and optometry clinics. You're not going to document everything an optometrist does because they've gone to university for however many years and they've trained and you know, if you hire another optometrist they should know what to do. However, you're getting best practice within that organisation. So is there a little bit of look, you're a specialist in what you do and we don't want to know, you know, maybe absolutely every detail, but we need to know enough so that there isn't this black box. So identifying what that black box looks like for you and the business and saying we need some transparency and visibility around this area instead of everything that you do is a great starting point. Because if he thinks it's everything I do, I have to divulge all my secrets. He's going to claim up more and probably leave. Just, just saying because I've seen a bit of that. So it's a balancing act.
Just a heads up, that clip was taken from a session in our Systems Champion certification program, which is the world's first and only program for systems champions to help you build a systems culture and develop an AI first approach and roll it out inside your organization. To find out more, head over to systemology.com systemschamp and I'll see you in there.
