Annie Cleans

04/09/2026

Ask your team what matters most right now. Would everybody give the same answer?

You're leading a team, no matter the size, and you reckon they know what matters the most.

Ask them and see what answers you get because, I’ve been there, seen it and got the T-shirt to prove it, I reckon the answers will all be different.

Why do you think this is?

The real answer is so simple you’ll kick yourself when I tell you.

Ready to kick yourself?�Right then, here it comes.

It is because they are focused on their bit and not the whole mission.

In short, you as their leader have not communicated to them the team goal and journey. You may think you have but they have trotted back to their world to do their bit.

This is why generals and other great leaders spend time, more time, on the mission and ex*****on rather than the situation.��Let me expand to explain.��I did 9 years in the RAF and in the UK military they use a briefing system called SMEAC.

Situation, mission, ex*****on, any questions and check understanding.��See what that does?��Great.

It works as it keeps everything flowing and in order. Everyone sees the bigger picture before they go to their tasks.��There is a way to make this even clearer to them. Imagine that, a way that your team is precisely on point all the time.

Many moons ago I realised whilst in sales that we need to communicate, which as a leader is your main job, and that has to be precise. Thankfully this was part of what later became known as the system.

Have I got your attention? Awesome, because there is more.

The system is not just for you, it is for all your team and when used properly causes great change for the better. You get better behaviour, better understanding and a happier more productive team.

Bet you would like that, yes?

Of course; wouldn’t we all.

Once your team sees the mission, knows how to execute it and understands it then the results will speak for themselves. T’is why the UK military is so effective. Well, one reason anyway.

But here's the thing.

Remember where we started?

Ask your team what matters most right now.

If you get different answers, you've just found something that needs your attention.

Not theirs.

Yours.

You're the leader.

So ask them.

Then listen.

Their answers might tell you considerably more about your leadership and communication than you expected.

And if they all give you the same answer?

Marvellous.

You're doing something right.

02/09/2026

Entrepreneurship/leadership/business and life can be chaos; systemising the person can bring order.

You're stressed - I get it, been there.

You're in chaos - I get it, been there too.

Now the sharp-eyed amongst you will see the past tense there and yes, it is deliberate.

No, I haven't discovered some magical way of making stress and chaos disappear.

Life still has a habit of throwing stuff at me and you, normally when we could really do without it.

What changed was how I dealt with it.

Entrepreneurship, leadership, business and life can be chaos.

Things go wrong, people do things you weren't expecting, plans go sideways and occasionally the whole bloody lot seems to happen at once.

So in business what do we do?

We systemise things.

Sales, operations, marketing, processes, finances, whatever.

Why?

Because systems help bring order to the chaos. Makes it easier to improve.

Obvious really.

But bet you haven't done this yet....

Systemised yourself.

I hadn't either.

Which when you think about it is a bit bloody daft.

Of all the moving parts in your business and your life there is only one that is there for all of it.

You.

That's what I learned to systemise.

Didn't systemise my life.

I systemised me, Ian.

Chaos still happens.

Stress still happens.

Problems definitely still happen.

Difference is I now have something to lean on when they do.

A framework that helps me work out what I need to do next rather than just getting bounced around by whatever has happened.

That's the System.

And I use the glorious thing all the time.

So here's something for you to think about.

You've probably spent years putting systems into your business.

Have you ever thought about putting one into yourself?

I did and it is, how shall I say this, a kind of magic!

02/01/2024