Why process is a dirty word

How Process blocks Progress

I have a confession to make… the word process shrinks a little bit of my soul every time I hear it. Don’t get me wrong – I love what process does for business, but the word… not so much! It’s such a corporate, bureaucratic, boring word.  You can almost hear the collective sigh when it’s mentioned in meetings. 

But having a clear way of working? Absolutely essential.

So the key is not to talk in terms of creating processes, but to develop ‘Our Way’ of doing everything in your business –  your team’s unique way of getting things done. 

Here’s how:

Building ‘Our Way’

Start by shifting the focus from rigid rules to a simple, logical and agreed way to do every task. That means involving your team from the start. They’re the ones on the front line, so it makes sense to work with them to agree your one right way to do every task.

When you involve your team, they feel ownership and they’re far more likely to stick to a system they helped create.

Break down each role in your business into its core responsibilities and routine tasks. Then agree a simple, logical and repeatable way to do each task with the team members who already do that task.

The Power of How-To Videos

Then it’s all about capturing your one right way, so that everyone is trained to follow it…consistently.

This is when most business owners talk about ‘documenting their processes’. Please don’t! 

Get your team to record your one right way as a How To video, using tools like Loom to create short, engaging How-To guides that capture your one right way of working.

Why videos? They’re clear, quick to follow, and much more engaging than written instructions. Plus, they’re easy for team members to revisit whenever they need a refresher—no more digging through old documents.

Start small. Choose one key routine task—maybe handling a customer query or ordering supplies—and record a quick video walkthrough. Over time, you’ll build a library of visual guides covering everything from onboarding new staff to handling daily operations.

Many successful businesses already use videos to streamline training and ensure consistency. It’s a simple, effective way to keep everyone on track without overwhelming them with information.

Here’s the thing…

‘Systemising your business’ doesn’t have to be intimidating. By focusing on building ‘Our Way’, you make life easier for your team and give your customers a wonderfully consistent experience.

Work with your team, break tasks down into straightforward steps, then use videos to capture your training and make it engaging and easy to follow. 

Imagine a business where everyone is trained to follow ‘Your business way’, motivated to follow it, and performing consistently—all without relying on soul-shrinking buzzwords. 

Time to take that first step?

Book a free call

Build your training system

McDonald’s aren’t successful because they have systems – they’re successful because everyone understands what the systems are, why they’re important…and follows them! Every time!

Find out more

Read more...

Sign up for our regular insights email below

Sign up
Author

Marianne Page

Marianne is the author of three books, and is currently working on her fourth, whilst regularly writing her blog, we hope you enjoy it :-)

Categories
Archives

Have Any Question?

If you are looking for more information about our services, would like to give your feedback, or simply like to make contact we’d love to hear from you.