Build Systems
Creating operating rhythms, processes, and structures that scale beyond you.
Why it matters
Great leaders build things that outlast them.
There's a stage in every technology leader's career where being the hero stops working. You can't personally solve every problem, review every decision, and unblock every team. At some point, you need to build systems that work without you in the room.
What it looks like in practice
Building systems means creating operating rhythms, decision making frameworks, governance structures, and delivery processes that scale. It's the difference between a team that depends on a brilliant leader and a function that performs consistently regardless of who's running it.
This is systems thinking applied to leadership. Instead of asking how do I solve this problem, you ask how do I create a system that prevents this problem from recurring. Instead of being the bottleneck, you build processes that distribute decisions to the right people at the right level.
How to develop this
The most practical example is your operating rhythm. Do you have a weekly cadence that gives you and your leadership team clear visibility into what's happening? Do you have escalation paths that work? Do you have a planning process that connects strategy to execution? These are systems.
Building systems is not about bureaucracy. It's about clarity. The best systems are lightweight, visible, and they make it obvious when things are on track and when they're not. They free you up to do the strategic work that only you can do, instead of being trapped in the operational weeds.