why systems work

I’m a huge NBA fan. Besides the sport, I love the glitz, the glamour, the drama, the off-season trade talk, the business, the grind.

As a fellow Canadian and GTA’er, Andrew Wiggins was our most exciting player to watch for since Steve Nash. As expected, he was selected first in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He remained as their top two talent for years and even signed a massive extension contract worth $148 million over five years. There have been grumblings around the league about the ‘culture’ in Minnesota. They brought in more talent, but never seemed to surround him with leaders and a system for winning. Finally, in 2020, as Minnesota went into rebuild mode around, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2020, joining a proven system led by a great coach, Steve Kerr. He went from a top two option on his team to arguably the third, if not the fourth. But he was surrounded by veterans and leaders in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.

Yesterday, he became an NBA Champion for the first time.

Why am I telling this story?

You can be a great athlete, a great professional, and a great talent...but without a system that facilitates your skill, your talents go to waste. This applies in healthcare. You are a smart, talented, skilled professional. You need the right system to excel in order to show your worth.

You are not an island. You are a human, connected to others. Personally and professionally, you must find others that will support you. You must also find a system that allows your skill to excel. If you are a physiotherapist who has leadership capacity, does the organization you join have upward mobility? If you are a professional with a passion for equity and diversity, does your organization allow for those values to shine?

You are a star, but you want to be a champion. Find partners, employers, mentors and coaches that want the same. Even better, find a system that already has this - a system of winning.

Leaders: Take Note.

Your job is to build this system. It cannot happen in a day, or a year. It happens over time. With lots of bumps in the road. Teams like Golden State, Toronto, Miami. Nobody talked about them for years, but they are now known for their leadership and their system. Your business decisions should be around building a system that works.

As leaders, founders, owners, your job is to lead and to facilitate growth. To make champions out of talent.

If you choose to become a leader, THIS IS YOUR JOB. ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE.

Build a system that works. A system that Builds Champions.