While I’m using this platform to tell my story and explain the ins-and-outs of how I think about systems and leadership, I wanted to create a dedicated entry for the big picture that pulls everything together.

I don’t know whether to call this a model, a framework, or a philosophy. Maybe it’s all of those things, and maybe it’s not truly any of them. Part of why I created this site is to try to figure that out.

To me, this is a living, breathing, thing. This is probably not the final form, either. This is the first major iteration. I’m still testing in the real world. I’m still running trials in my own leadership journey, and seeing what works and what doesn’t, as well as what I actually use and what I don’t.

Because this is intended to be more of a reference point, it intentionally leaves out some of the more nuanced concepts, such as what “The System is made up of people” actually means. That’s what the individual entries are for, and I will try to edit this to link to new posts that dive deeper into concepts as I write them.

To enable good decisions when answers are unclear.

Quality and consistency of decisions.

To ensure that decisions scale without fragility.

Reliability, scalability, and anti-heroism.

To shape the focus of the System and how it interacts across boundaries.

Alignment of priorities, resources, and cultural values.

To ensure the System remains viable as the landscape changes.

Trajectory, long-term fitness of the System.

What must be true for the System to be perfectly healthy.

Internal and external stakeholders remain aligned because they trust in our competence, intent, and follow-through.

Effort translates into outcomes that materially improve results, reduce risk or enable progress.

Resources are deliberately allocated to areas that create the most value or mitigate the most risk.

The System performs reliably under stress and improves over time without dependence on heroics.

Decisions are made with a shared understanding of intent, risk, tradeoffs, and consequences.

How we approach interventions to protect or restore System Conditions.

Define the problem space, success criteria, and decisions boundaries so that good decisions become possible.

Ensure that your words, actions, and evidence all stay aligned under scrutiny.

When the answer is unclear, surface risks and tradeoffs and recommend a path forward.

Ensure that commitments made across boundaries are grounded in a shared understanding of intent and risk.

Clearly define “good” and enforce it consistently.

Deliberately concentrate resources and attention based on value and risk.

Design the System so that good behavior is sustainable and progress does not depend on you personally.

Evolve structure, strategy, and decision norms as the landscape changes.

Set and maintain priority order when signals conflict.

Things I try to keep in mind all the time.

These things will happen.