Professional athletes spend much of their time training and practicing. Whether it is running, or lifting weights, or watching videos, or practicing plays, far more time is spent honing their skills than actually performing in competition. Their goal is to automatize the actions necessary for success. Their goal is to take consistent actions.
Consistent actions lead to consistent results, whether in athletics or in business. An athlete achieves this consistency through practice. A business achieves this consistency through systems.
Systems provide specific steps for completing a particular task. Just as a pitcher knows that a particular arm movement will produce a particular result, a business knows that a particular action will produce a particular result. When a business owner identifies the desired result and the actions that produce that result, he can more consistently achieve his goals.
Much of the work of a professional athlete is boring and routine. Away from the roaring crowds, his life is filled with monotony. He must exercise, watch his diet, and get sufficient rest. All aspects of his life are geared toward the achievement of the results he desires.
The same is true of a successful business–all of its parts must mesh and work together. This is the role of systems. They provide integration and cohesiveness. And like the training undertaken by an athlete, the process of developing systems and procedures might seem boring and routine. But the results are well worth the effort.
