The Toilet Paper Illustration
10 Dec 2008
As an example of systems-thinking, and at the risk of an awful pun, reaching for a piece of toilet paper is the bottom line. Toilet paper is a mandatory accessory....Read More
It’s Just the Way We Do Things Around Here
05 Nov 2008
When the “Shall I do it now or later?” question comes up for a new Centratel staff member, their not-yet-disciplined internal dialogue goes something like this: “What’s the difference if...Read More
Measuring the Body
24 Oct 2008
Here’s an excerpt from Sam Carpenter’s book Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less… Eight years ago, in the depths of my workplace chaos, I...Read More
Gone Missing
22 Oct 2008
Several years ago we had our house remodeled. Immediately after, we “flipped” another house. In both cases, numerous subcontractors, both experienced and inexperienced, did the work. Linda was the interior...Read More
The Tip System
20 Oct 2008
Here is an evaluation system, albeit waggish. It’s about tipping in restaurants, and I’ll preface things by saying I don’t believe a tip is a diner’s obligation. It’s a tip—something...Read More
The Cardiovascular Equipment Sign-Up System
16 Oct 2008
Here’s a remove-the-system-altogether scenario. It’s the ultimate in simplifying things. My staff and I take delight in chucking unnecessary Centratel protocols. System-elimination is great to see in personal life, too. ...Read More
Losing Key Employees
14 Oct 2008
In my small business, Centratel, each of our half-dozen key management people has had several years of on-the-job experience. Training managers to operate a telephone answering service is a long, drawn-out...Read More
Installing a Preventative System
08 Oct 2008
Sometimes we install a system and it doesn’t do much. We achieve the desired effect by the mere existence of it. At Centratel, we knew a few of our employees...Read More
Paying the Bills: An Illustration of Replacing an Old System with a New One
18 Sep 2008
For years, a nagging problem in my small business, Centratel, was the time and effort it took to pay the monthly bills. The process did nothing for the bottom line...Read More
Leader and High Earner
15 Sep 2008
Not too long ago I participated in Cycle Oregon, a weeklong bicycle tour. Seventeen hundred riders pedaled an average of 75 miles each day through remote eastern Oregon. At night...Read More
