From Willpower to Systems: Transforming Leadership for Sustainable Success
As a leader, do you ever feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?
Have you seen Disney’s Encanto? (If not, you really should—it’s a great movie with awesome music!). Many leaders, both new and veteran, can feel like Luisa, carrying the weight of the whole team on their shoulders. They rely on their own willpower to muscle through the constant demands of decision-making and execution. But soon, they find themselves overwhelmed, with their eye twitching from the overload, realizing that sheer determination isn’t enough for sustainable, scalable success.
Today, I want to explore how putting strong systems in place can take the weight off your shoulders, empower your team, and free up space for growth—for both you and them. I’ll keep two tracks going here: one drawing parallels from my personal transformation journey and another pulling from technical practices like automating deployment pipelines in DevOps.
Before we dive in, take a moment to reflect on your current leadership journey. Look back over the past week and jot down three tasks or decisions you could have potentially delegated or deferred. Next, assess how overwhelmed you feel with the demands of leadership and decision-making by rating yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 (1-not at all, 5-extremely overwhelmed). With these insights in mind, let’s explore how systems can shift that number for you.
What do we mean by a system?
I keep using the word “system,” and that can mean different things to different people. So, let’s level set on what I mean here. A system is a repeatable process or routine designed to help you achieve a specific goal or outcome. It doesn’t have to be complicated—it could be as simple as tick marks on a sticky note, an acronym that reminds you to take certain steps or a specific routine to start your day.
Whatever form it takes, a system is a structured approach that makes outcomes more repeatable, predictable, and sustainable. Whether it’s a workflow in DevOps or a personal habit tracker, systems are the backbone that support and guide our actions towards success.
Systems Create Consistency
It’s been said many times in many ways because it’s true: You have to measure anything you want to improve. During my year-long journey to lose 100 pounds, I discovered that consistent tracking of my weight, food intake, and physical activity was crucial. After diligently entering every meal into CarbManager for over a month, I felt like I knew my calorie intake and slacked off on tracking. Within a week, my weight began to drift back up. An extra snack here, a slightly bigger serving there, and because I stopped measuring, my calorie intake increased without me knowing it. I started logging and quickly realized how those seemingly small changes were adding up in the wrong direction. Once you establish a system, stick to it!
In software development, there’s a huge focus on eliminating manual steps to deliver software to customers—this is part of what we call DevOps. You don’t need to understand all the technical details for this to make sense. Before DevOps and the automation of the deployment process, deploying software could involve hours of manual steps, and any misstep could lead to failed deployments or even a system that’s down for days (been there, done that). Creating a system of automation reduces manual errors and accelerates delivery, ensuring consistency and freeing the team for more challenging work.
Now, let’s apply this to leadership. Creating a system for tasks you frequently perform will lead to consistent results, predictable timing, and free you up for more strategic and cognitive work. Perhaps you need a “do, defer, delegate” matrix or a quick way to sort emails. Reflect on the three items you wrote down earlier—can a system help you create consistency around one of those?
Empowerment Through Delegation
You were made a leader not to triple your workload, but to empower others to achieve five times what you once did. Leadership isn’t about doing more—it’s about enabling your team to reach new heights together. Delegation can be one of the hardest steps for a first-time leader, especially when transitioning from a technical role. It can feel like a loss of control, but it is essential for your growth and the growth of your team. A key part of your leadership system is knowing what, how, and when to delegate to empower your team and shift your focus to new leadership responsibilities.
Quick side note—I’ve seen many leaders both over and under-index on delegating. Too much delegation can detach you from the work and the team, while too little can overwhelm you and lead to underperformance. There is an art and a balance to it, which is a topic for another day
In a workshop I facilitated to prioritize major initiatives for an R&D organization, both executive leaders and directors were invited. On the first day, many executives ‘delegated’ to their directors and didn’t attend. But we found out later that they retained veto rights over the workshop’s output, which isn’t true delegation. I discussed with them that delegating means fully empowering the person you delegate to. Executives needed to shift their focus from tactical decision-making to strategic direction, allowing directors to handle day-to-day operations.
Delegation should not mean handing off strategic vision—it’s a core responsibility of executives. Instead, focus on delegating tactical decisions and empower your team with the necessary information and authority to make those decisions. This involves clearly communicating expectations, concerns, and the context surrounding each decision. By doing so, you ensure that your team feels confident and supported in their roles.
In the world of DevOps, similar principles apply. Automation in deployment pipelines serves as a form of delegation, where routine tasks are handed off to systems. This not only speeds up processes but also reduces errors and allows teams to focus on more innovative and complex challenges. Just as in leadership, where leaders must trust their teams, in DevOps, engineers must trust the systems they put in place. By automating routine tasks, DevOps ensures consistency and reliability, freeing up human resources for strategic development and problem-solving.
A successful delegation involves trust and acceptance of the decisions made by those you empower. It’s about creating a culture where team members are encouraged to take initiative and make decisions aligned with the organization’s goals. This not only frees you to focus on strategic growth but also fosters a sense of ownership and accountability within your team.
Think back to the items you wrote down to start with. Are some of them decisions you are reluctant to delegate? What systems can you implement to ensure that delegation leads to consistent and effective outcomes? By embracing delegation as a tool for empowerment, you can transform your leadership approach and drive your organization towards greater success.
Systems Lead to Long-term Success
The great thing about creating a system, rather than relying on ad-hoc brute force efforts, is that you can sustain it over the long term. Without a repeatable process, improving that process is nearly impossible because you likely do it differently every time. Creating a system enables you to refine and enhance that system. Even more, you can share that system with others to help them grow, and remember, leadership is about fostering the growth of others.
Reflecting on my personal journey, as of this writing (November 2025), it has been five years since I lost my weight. To this day, I still weigh myself daily, but I’ve stopped calorie counting. Calorie counting is a leading indicator—a predictor for the outcome I wanted to change: my weight. Since my weight is under control, I don’t need to measure the leading indicator unless my weight starts to deviate. My system has been in place for five years, keeping me on track, and I’ve had the opportunity to share it with others. The system ensured my change wasn’t just a crash diet with no long-term impact.
In DevOps, a component called continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) focuses on creating a long-term system for deploying software. Over time, this system is tweaked and adjusted to account for changes in the ecosystem, including technology, company policy, and customer demands. Having a system enables teams to make these changes predictably, leading to consistent, high-quality delivery over time.
As a leader, your growth never stops. Some systems may come and go as you set new goals and achieve them, but some systems will remain in place throughout your leadership journey. As you lead others, you’ll pass on some of your systems, inspiring the next generation of leaders. Creating a system, no matter how simple, is a foundation for your own leadership and the leadership growth of others.
Conclusion and Call to Action
The power of systems lies in their ability to transform both personal lives and professional practices. Today we explored how creating a system can lead to consistent and sustainable success. From personal milestones, like my weight loss journey, to professional achievements in leadership and technical practices such as DevOps, systems have proven to be the backbone of reliable and predictable outcomes.
By shifting our focus from sheer willpower to well-designed systems, we can lead with confidence and clarity. Systems provide the structure needed to navigate challenges, empower teams, and foster innovation. They free us from the constraints of reactive decision-making, allowing us to focus on strategic growth and development.
As we conclude, I challenge you to reflect on the three items you noted earlier. Identify one area where you rely too heavily on willpower, whether in your personal or professional life. Consider how implementing a system could make success inevitable in that area. Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments, and let’s ignite a conversation on building reliable leadership practices together. Make a commitment by sharing what you will be working on in the comments.
Remember, leadership is not just about guiding others but also about continuously evolving ourselves. By embracing systems, we not only enhance our own leadership journey but also inspire those around us to reach new heights. Let’s commit to this path of growth and transformation, and support each other in building a future defined by resilience and success.
Now, let’s apply this to leadership. Creating a system for tasks you frequently perform will lead to consistent results, predictable timing, and free you up for more strategic and cognitive work. Perhaps you need a “do, defer, delegate” matrix or a quick way to sort emails. Reflect on the three items you wrote down earlier—can a system help you create consistency around one of those?
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