I grew up in Wales for about four years of my life, and it left a real impression on me.
One concept that stuck with me is the idea of the “canary in the mine”, and today I wanted to explain it and link it back to a topic that has most definitely been hot in 2021 – systemisation.
For those who haven’t heard the term before, here’s the skinny.
Back in the day when Wales was the mining powerhouse of the UK, miners would work deep underground with what is by modern standards pretty basic equipment that put them at risk of all sorts of potential problems.
One of those issues was the build-up of carbon monoxide which, as most of you will know, is odourless.
Unfortunately, the first indication of an over-concentration of carbon monoxide is when you fall asleep, followed by asphyxiation.
Hence, the practice of taking a canary down with you. If you noticed the canary had dropped off its perch, chances are you wanted to get out sharpish.
Not great if you’re canary, but a useful early-warning system if you’re a miner.
Recently I shared one of the big conundrums when it comes to systemising your business. It’s something you only realise you badly need when you don’t have time to do it (ie. your growth prevents you from investing the time, which you don’t have because you lack systems).
However, sometimes if you spot certain stuff that’s starting to happen in your business, you can take action sooner. Hence, your systemisation “canaries”
The video has the detail. Let me know what you think.
