How to Build Systems That Unlock Performance
Performance Isn’t Personal. It’s Structural.
When a team misses its targets, when a top performer burns out, or when engagement numbers slip; leaders often ask, “What’s wrong with the people?”
But what if that’s the wrong question?
What if the real issue isn’t motivation, talent, or effort, but the systems those people are working within?
You don’t need more inspirational posters or another round of soft-skills training. You need better design. Because in high-performing organizations, success isn’t heroic. It’s built in.
To unlock performance, you must first unlock the environment.
People Don’t Fail. Systems Do.
One of the most powerful mindset shifts any leader can make is this:
Behavior is a product of environment.
When people struggle, disengage, or underperform, it’s usually not because they’re broken. It’s because something around them is.
As Phil Geldart teaches, “People don’t fail; systems do.”
A story he often shares comes from a manufacturing plant where performance issues were originally blamed on the workers. Leadership assumed it was a people problem (lack of motivation, skill, or accountability). But when they looked more closely at the system (the processes, tools, and environment) they discovered the real culprits: outdated equipment and unclear procedures.
Once they upgraded the machinery and clarified the workflows, performance skyrocketed. No people were “fixed.” The environment was.
This story reinforces a vital truth: most people are capable and motivated. The key is creating the right conditions for success.
When leaders provide absolute clarity about outcomes, consequences, and capabilities, they’re not just managing behavior. They’re shaping it.
That’s the real work of leadership: not fixing individuals, but designing environments that make the right behaviors the most natural ones to choose.
What Great Systems Do Differently
- They remove friction – Unnecessary approvals, unclear goals, and conflicting messages drain energy. Friction makes even simple tasks feel hard. High-performance systems reduce that drag by making the path to success obvious and accessible.
- They align expectations with enablement – It’s not enough to expect results. You have to provide the tools, resources, and skills that make those results achievable. Accountability without enablement is a setup for failure.
- They simplify what matters most – Complexity kills momentum. The best systems clarify what really matters and strip away noise. Simplicity enables focus, and focus fuels performance.
- They reinforce action, not just awareness – Awareness is the starting point. Action is the outcome. Great systems turn insights into habits by creating repeated, real opportunities to practice and apply.
- Modeling is preparing the soil
- Coaching is nurturing growth through challenges
- Requiring is ensuring consistent attention, structure, and care so the environment supports healthy development and weeds are pulled before they take root
Designing for Behavior Change: Real Examples
- Instead of encouraging cross-functional collaboration with posters, design project structures that require it
- Instead of asking for accountability, design reporting systems that make progress visible and celebrate follow-through
- Instead of hoping leaders apply what they learned in a session, design post-training expectations, nudges, and refreshers that turn knowledge into habit
It’s Not About Trying Harder. It’s About Building Better.
You cannot coach your way out of a broken system.
You can only design your way out.
When the right behaviors are built into the environment, people no longer need to fight the system to succeed. They’re supported by it. Motivated by it. Developed by it.
That’s what world-class leadership systems do: They don’t expect excellence. They enable it.
Next Steps
Take a hard look at your team’s systems. Where are you relying on effort instead of design? Where are people having to fight to do the right thing?
If you want to unlock performance, unlock the conditions that shape it.
Featured Resource: Ask Phil GPT
Have a systems challenge? Try asking Phil yourself. This custom GPT is trained on decades of leadership experience and insights.
