Dan Heath

So that gives them this incredible ability to scale up and down. If they're busy, maybe four or five people are taking orders. If they're slow, maybe it's one or two. And here's the important thing. When you're thinking about systems, there's going to be a constraint. There's going to be a number one thing holding you back. So let's say in that case is the menu board.

So that gives them this incredible ability to scale up and down. If they're busy, maybe four or five people are taking orders. If they're slow, maybe it's one or two. And here's the important thing. When you're thinking about systems, there's going to be a constraint. There's going to be a number one thing holding you back. So let's say in that case is the menu board.

So that gives them this incredible ability to scale up and down. If they're busy, maybe four or five people are taking orders. If they're slow, maybe it's one or two. And here's the important thing. When you're thinking about systems, there's going to be a constraint. There's going to be a number one thing holding you back. So let's say in that case is the menu board.

So Chick-fil-A figures out a way around that. Well, we can scale this up and down as needed. It's not like you fix the constraint forever. What happens is the constraint just moves somewhere else. So if you've got five people in the parking lot taking orders are streaming into the kitchen. Well, now the kitchen is the constraint. They can't keep up. They can't fry nuggets and fries that fast.

So Chick-fil-A figures out a way around that. Well, we can scale this up and down as needed. It's not like you fix the constraint forever. What happens is the constraint just moves somewhere else. So if you've got five people in the parking lot taking orders are streaming into the kitchen. Well, now the kitchen is the constraint. They can't keep up. They can't fry nuggets and fries that fast.

So Chick-fil-A figures out a way around that. Well, we can scale this up and down as needed. It's not like you fix the constraint forever. What happens is the constraint just moves somewhere else. So if you've got five people in the parking lot taking orders are streaming into the kitchen. Well, now the kitchen is the constraint. They can't keep up. They can't fry nuggets and fries that fast.

So you've got to get them more help, better systems. And then once the kitchen can keep up, maybe the bottleneck hops over to what they call meal assembly, where they box and bag your food and get it ready to deliver to you. And so that's how you manage a system is one step at a time. You look what's holding you back, whittle away, move somewhere else, then shift your focus there, whittle away.

So you've got to get them more help, better systems. And then once the kitchen can keep up, maybe the bottleneck hops over to what they call meal assembly, where they box and bag your food and get it ready to deliver to you. And so that's how you manage a system is one step at a time. You look what's holding you back, whittle away, move somewhere else, then shift your focus there, whittle away.

So you've got to get them more help, better systems. And then once the kitchen can keep up, maybe the bottleneck hops over to what they call meal assembly, where they box and bag your food and get it ready to deliver to you. And so that's how you manage a system is one step at a time. You look what's holding you back, whittle away, move somewhere else, then shift your focus there, whittle away.

And every time you do that, the system is getting better. And then that sounds very operational and it is operations. People talk a lot about bottlenecks and constraints, but I think it's also possible to see the personal implications of that and to start thinking carefully about what are the limiting factors and the constraints in our own lives.

And every time you do that, the system is getting better. And then that sounds very operational and it is operations. People talk a lot about bottlenecks and constraints, but I think it's also possible to see the personal implications of that and to start thinking carefully about what are the limiting factors and the constraints in our own lives.

And every time you do that, the system is getting better. And then that sounds very operational and it is operations. People talk a lot about bottlenecks and constraints, but I think it's also possible to see the personal implications of that and to start thinking carefully about what are the limiting factors and the constraints in our own lives.

And that analogy actually works perfectly for the idea of a burst because you're right. It's to get the car moving at all takes far more force than what you need to keep it going. And so what does that mean? Well, I love the example. We cite this guy named Greg McLawson, who's an attorney. But for the course of the story, it's more important that he's a husband.

And that analogy actually works perfectly for the idea of a burst because you're right. It's to get the car moving at all takes far more force than what you need to keep it going. And so what does that mean? Well, I love the example. We cite this guy named Greg McLawson, who's an attorney. But for the course of the story, it's more important that he's a husband.

And that analogy actually works perfectly for the idea of a burst because you're right. It's to get the car moving at all takes far more force than what you need to keep it going. And so what does that mean? Well, I love the example. We cite this guy named Greg McLawson, who's an attorney. But for the course of the story, it's more important that he's a husband.

And he was working on a new watering system for his wife's garden. And so they had set up a bunch of hardware to make sure the gardens stayed watered on the right schedule. But Greg McLaughlin said the immutable law of the universe is that you can never get anything you everything you need for a home improvement project with one trip to Home Depot.

And he was working on a new watering system for his wife's garden. And so they had set up a bunch of hardware to make sure the gardens stayed watered on the right schedule. But Greg McLaughlin said the immutable law of the universe is that you can never get anything you everything you need for a home improvement project with one trip to Home Depot.

And he was working on a new watering system for his wife's garden. And so they had set up a bunch of hardware to make sure the gardens stayed watered on the right schedule. But Greg McLaughlin said the immutable law of the universe is that you can never get anything you everything you need for a home improvement project with one trip to Home Depot.

Or maybe in tribute to you, we should switch that to Lowe's. You can never get everything you need in one trip. And so he joked that even if you went to get one 60 watt light bulb and you got it, you would discover when you got home, it actually needs to be a 59 watt light bulb. And so this immutable law held true for him.

Or maybe in tribute to you, we should switch that to Lowe's. You can never get everything you need in one trip. And so he joked that even if you went to get one 60 watt light bulb and you got it, you would discover when you got home, it actually needs to be a 59 watt light bulb. And so this immutable law held true for him.