20 Things I've Learned as a Systems (Over) Thinker
cutlefish.substack.com
This list has received positive feedback. It seems to have struck a nerve. Sending it to coincide with Monday morning to help folks navigate their week. Take care of yourself. Your brain is working overtime—all the time. Practice “radical” recovery.
I love these John, thanks. It's often hard not to gaslight yourself and a quick squiz at these puts things nicely back in perspective with suggestions for compromise and the knowledge that other people are going through the same over-thought processes :)
This resonates with me so much. Especially 4 and 16, which are traps that I've fallen into a number of times. Another learning for me has been that many system optimizations that seem perfect on paper don't acknowledge the level of ambiguity, randomness, and creativity that is a part of our lives and work. Making space for that can be quite uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean we should shy away from it.
3, 5, 7 and 10 go hand in hand for me: especially when you are starting out as a "professional system thinker" as it happened to me five years ago, you are eager to include everyone in the process.
You soon realize that almost nobody cares how you came up with anything.
You have to be able to influence people by making targeted and practical proposals, and that's it.
As system thinkers we know that the process is as important, if not more, than the proposal itself, but other people have their own day-by-day and being involved in that kind of processes is overwhelming for most of them.
Such a great realistic and an actionable list! Thank you, John!
#12 resonated so much. The idea of people supporting you in private and not in public bothered me for the longest time. For my own sanity, I've decided to stay away from those kind of people or keep extremely limited interactions. Recently, I stumbled upon "The Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle and there is this concept of 'Status Management' which indirectly supplements #12.
'Status Management' in Coyle's words (last line hit home for me):
"Figuring out where they fit in the larger picture, who is in-charge, is it ok to criticize, what are the rules here, interactions appear smooth but underlying behavior is riddled with inefficiency, hesitation & subtle competition. Instead of focusing on tasks, they’re navigating uncertainty about one another."
This is a beautiful list, and resonates a lot. As a regenerative farmer, I'm keen to learn more about hacking the existing power structures - sounds clever and efficient.
Make sure to celebrate your wins. They will be few and far between, so savor the moment.
Love that statement! This is what i help people do, mark those oments in life that we tend not to, because we don't realize the mental benefits of sharing life events, with others. Not just weddings, birthdays, and funerals, but retirement, moving house, a new job, menopause, etc.
John, Very nice set of principles, but maybe missing the boundaries of one's own view.
Here's an interesting challenge. What would an agile systems approach be to discovering that our ongoing rapid destruction of the earth, that SO many feel and others see, requires a major change in the financial rules driving it?
It seems to require a change from using profits to maximize growth to instead mostly care for our battered environments and perfect (not multiply) our systems? See any openings? Have any ideas? I need them. sy@synapse9.com research notes on it at https://synapse9.com/signals
Re 1 - we must rest as intensely as we work / train.
Re 15 - title does not correlate to your ability to be a leader. There's explicit authority and responsibility that comes with a role, yes. But informal or implicit leadership can be just as powerful.
This is such a good reminder John, thanks for sharing. I read it first on LinkedIn but didn't save it and it took a while to find it again amongst your posts, therefore glad that you've posted it here, easier to come back to it and share with others.
I love these John, thanks. It's often hard not to gaslight yourself and a quick squiz at these puts things nicely back in perspective with suggestions for compromise and the knowledge that other people are going through the same over-thought processes :)
This resonates with me so much. Especially 4 and 16, which are traps that I've fallen into a number of times. Another learning for me has been that many system optimizations that seem perfect on paper don't acknowledge the level of ambiguity, randomness, and creativity that is a part of our lives and work. Making space for that can be quite uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean we should shy away from it.
Thanks for sharing!
saw this a few times this week - it had a big impact on me and my colleagues
3, 5, 7 and 10 go hand in hand for me: especially when you are starting out as a "professional system thinker" as it happened to me five years ago, you are eager to include everyone in the process.
You soon realize that almost nobody cares how you came up with anything.
You have to be able to influence people by making targeted and practical proposals, and that's it.
As system thinkers we know that the process is as important, if not more, than the proposal itself, but other people have their own day-by-day and being involved in that kind of processes is overwhelming for most of them.
Do you have any advise on how to «Practice “radical” recovery»?
need this poster size for my wall 🤓
How do I "hack" existing power structures? :)
Such a great realistic and an actionable list! Thank you, John!
#12 resonated so much. The idea of people supporting you in private and not in public bothered me for the longest time. For my own sanity, I've decided to stay away from those kind of people or keep extremely limited interactions. Recently, I stumbled upon "The Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle and there is this concept of 'Status Management' which indirectly supplements #12.
'Status Management' in Coyle's words (last line hit home for me):
"Figuring out where they fit in the larger picture, who is in-charge, is it ok to criticize, what are the rules here, interactions appear smooth but underlying behavior is riddled with inefficiency, hesitation & subtle competition. Instead of focusing on tasks, they’re navigating uncertainty about one another."
This is a beautiful list, and resonates a lot. As a regenerative farmer, I'm keen to learn more about hacking the existing power structures - sounds clever and efficient.
Make sure to celebrate your wins. They will be few and far between, so savor the moment.
Love that statement! This is what i help people do, mark those oments in life that we tend not to, because we don't realize the mental benefits of sharing life events, with others. Not just weddings, birthdays, and funerals, but retirement, moving house, a new job, menopause, etc.
John, Very nice set of principles, but maybe missing the boundaries of one's own view.
Here's an interesting challenge. What would an agile systems approach be to discovering that our ongoing rapid destruction of the earth, that SO many feel and others see, requires a major change in the financial rules driving it?
It seems to require a change from using profits to maximize growth to instead mostly care for our battered environments and perfect (not multiply) our systems? See any openings? Have any ideas? I need them. sy@synapse9.com research notes on it at https://synapse9.com/signals
This is so incredibly helpful for its target audience. Thank you.
Re 1 - we must rest as intensely as we work / train.
Re 15 - title does not correlate to your ability to be a leader. There's explicit authority and responsibility that comes with a role, yes. But informal or implicit leadership can be just as powerful.
Thanks John!
This is such a good reminder John, thanks for sharing. I read it first on LinkedIn but didn't save it and it took a while to find it again amongst your posts, therefore glad that you've posted it here, easier to come back to it and share with others.
also - totally dig the drawing! yours?