Stop Chasing Goals, Build the System That Ships Every Week

You know the sting of a project that looked great on paper, then sat unused. Jess Orr felt it firsthand. Early in her career, she solved problems alone. Later, she walked a plant floor and saw a clever machine she had built sitting idle. That quiet moment changed her approach. She brought people in, worked in the open, and let the team test ideas. When her team picked a fix she doubted, it saved more than $200,000 a year. Jess did not just hit a goal, she built a way of working that lasted after she left. Michael Bremer’s Learn to See the Invisible points us to this shift, from chasing outcomes to building repeatable systems that include others .

Why Systems Beat Willpower

Bremer’s model is simple and steady, plan, practice, assess, reflect. You repeat the loop until progress becomes a habit, not a push you dread . Change sticks when it speaks to what people feel and value. As the book notes through the work of Alan Deutschman and John Kotter, fear does not keep people going for long. A clear reason that matters does. Dean Ornish put it this way, “Joy is a more powerful motivator than fear” .

Start With a Purpose You Can See

Here is how to ground your work before you set targets:

• Ask “Why?” at least three times, and write what you learn.
• Walk to see how your customer uses your output.
• Share your measures with customers, and learn how your numbers affect their work.
  These moves bring your purpose out of your head and into shared view. They also build cooperation across teams, because everyone can see what matters and why .

Eric Pope, a senior operator at U.S. Synthetics, said the reason for change must be meaningful enough that people will face the struggle and still raise their hand. It needs to feel safe to surface problems and to try again. Leaders who talk about purpose in ways people feel gain real pull for change .

Make Progress Visual and Quick

Build a simple visual that shows where you are and what needs attention. Bremer offers clear tests:

• Can the team update it in under 10 to 15 minutes a day?
• Can anyone spot the issues in under 10 seconds?
• Does it help people make better decisions faster?
  Try it for a week, a month, or a quarter. Keep it meaningful to you. At the end of the trial, ask if it drove the behavior you wanted. Keep what helps, evolve the rest. This is how you tighten the feedback loop without more meetings .

Ship Small, Learn Fast

Progress speeds up when the step is small and the check is near. In the book, Martha saw that her handoffs were fuzzy and people were overwhelmed. She did not push harder. She changed the routine. The team clarified priorities, confirmed capacity, added coaching early, and tracked progress in a simple way. Work moved with less rework and less stress, because the new routine fit reality. Then the team adjusted as they learned .

Measure What Matters, Then Evolve It

Autoliv once tracked a very high number of employee ideas that were implemented. Later, they counted only ideas tied to key strategies. The total count fell, alignment rose, and focus improved. Measures should shine a light on what matters now, and they should change as your purpose and strategy change .

Create Safety, Not Spin

A system that ships needs truth without fear. Mr. Yoshino taught simple practices, share bad news first, go see for yourself, set bold targets, and develop people to reach them. Pair this with Deming’s reminder, most performance problems come from the process, not the person. Use measures to learn, not to blame. When fear goes down, problems show up faster, and so do fixes .

The Hidden Treasure In Your Team

Bremer points to a powerful idea. About 30 percent of the energy people could bring is optional, the part that shows up when people feel respected, safe, and part of something that matters. Leaders unlock this by caring, by growing people, and by making progress visible. As the book quotes, “Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could” .

“The most important choice you make is what you choose to make important.” That line is worth taping to your screen. Choose purpose, learning, and visibility. Choose to keep the loop small and steady .

Build Your One Page System

Bremer shares a one page New Habit Worksheet to help you turn intent into a simple system. Use it like this:

• Purpose, write why this change matters to you and your team.
• New behavior, describe the small action you will do, in clear words.
• Reward, name what will feel better, or what result it will enable.
• Impact on others, list who is affected and how you will involve them.
• Visual, pick how you will see progress at a glance.
• Support, choose a coach or peer and a simple check in rhythm.
  Treat it like an experiment. You may miss on the first pass, so keep the loop, plan, practice, assess, reflect. Adjust with what you learn .

A 30 Day Cadence You Can Trust

Here is how you can start this week:

• Pick one priority, then ask “Why?” at least three times. Share what you learn with your team .
• Build a quick visual you can update in minutes. Use it daily or weekly to guide choices .
• Set a weekly check in to review the visual, surface problems safely, and choose the next small step. Invite coaching and listening, not defensiveness .
• At the end of the month, keep what worked, evolve what did not, and if helpful, point the next cycle at a key strategic goal, just as Autoliv did .

If you want a simple test for your system, Paul O’Neill used three questions. Are people treated with dignity and respect? Do they have the tools and skills to do the job? Are they recognized for their contributions? If the honest answers lean yes, your system is building people and results at the same time .

Change starts with you, not with others. Ask what you need to do differently, then take one small step you can repeat next week. What will you see one month from now that is invisible today ?