Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less (Revised 3rd Edition, 2019)

Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less (Revised 3rd Edition, 2019)

172 ratings 4.4 out of 5 stars

Oct 1, 2011

Product Description Publication Date, Third Edition: October 3, 2011 (In July of 2018, Carpenter extensively revised the 6th printing of the 3rd Edition) Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less, Third Edition, guides the reader in modifying his or her fundamental perception of the world, moving from an inaccurate vision of barely controlled chaos, to a more accurate one: that life is an orderly collection of individual linear systems each of which can be improved and perfected one at a time. The reader is guided through the process of ''getting'' this new vision, and then through the specifics of applying it via Carpenter's "system improvement" methodology.  For start-ups or multinationals, the methodology is simple, believable, and mechanical; not mystical or theoretical. Carpenter developed the "systems mindset" protocol in the business he purchased in 1984 and still owns today. With that company, he moved from an 80-100 hour workweek to a 2 hour workweek, while multiplying his income dozens of times over. He is CEO of an international business consulting firm, and several other spin-off businesses, as well as an international non-profit, all of which are operated in the same systems mindset fashion. With a diverse background in engineering, construction and business management, publishing, telecommunications and journalism, he calls his approach a "workingman's philosophy." See workthesystem.com. Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less will show the business owner how to achieve a positive macro result by looking at business and work on a micro level; by analyzing and refining the separate internal sub-systems, the systems that, added together, comprise the whole primary system business entity. Readers will learn how to "tweak" this "system of systems" in order to maximize profits, create client loyalty, and develop autonomous employees. The strategies help business owners to quickly and dramatically improve performance as well as decrease the stress of being overtaxed and disorganized, ultimately resulting in a substantially shorter work week and a much-improved bottom line. See testimonials of readers at workthesystem.com/testimonials. In an unusual publishing arrangement,  Carpenter gives away his unabridged book in both PDF and audible formats via his website workthesystem.com. This adversely affects Amazon, NY Times, etc. book sales ratings but meets his objective of wide distribution. The book is also available in hard copy in multiple languages including Chinese, Russian, and Japanese. Review ''Sam Carpenter has brought all the main principles that will lead to success in your work and life together in one book. Some books will change your mind this book will change your life if you apply what it teaches. The author shows that our entire world operates based on systems, from nature to the human body to successful businesses.'' --Steve Burns, Amazon Top 1000 reviewer ''Better than Good to Great, the next Best Seller Business Book.'' --GLR, Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer. 5 stars ''Very vivid details captivates this reader. Well done indeed!'' --G.W., Amazon Top 500 Reviewer. 5 stars ''This book will be a life-saver. Highly recommended.'' --SHA, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer. 5 stars From the Author Work the System's  main thrust goes beyond providing new information, although it does that. The root purpose of Work the System is to guide you to a new way of perceiving your life so you can gain better command of it and therefore be better able to get what you want. There will be a mechanical adjustment in the way you see your world, and when this profound shift occurs, systems Methodology will make irrefutable sense, and your work and life will never be the same. I like to call this mini-awakening getting it, and I describe what it is and how to achieve it in Part One. The Nutshell Premise? Your life is a collection of individual systems. To whom is this book intended? It's for anyone who runs a business, from the founder of a brand new mom-and-pop start-up to the seasoned CEO of a multinational. At either extreme and in-between, the tenets apply uniformly because life's fundamental mechanics work the same, all the time, everywhere. This is about acquiring a better view of reality's universal simple mechanics; to viewing the machinations of your world with more precision. From the Inside Flap After a fifteen-year nightmare operating his own stagnant business, Sam Carpenter developed a down-to-earth methodology that knocked his routine eighty-hour workweek down to just two hours--while multiplying his income twenty-fold. In Work the System, Carpenter reveals a profound insight and the exact uncomplicated, mechanical steps he took to turn his business and life around without turning it upside down. Once you "get" this new vision, success and serenity will come quickly. You will learn to: * Make a simple perception adjustment that will change your life forever. * See your world as a logical collection of linear systems that you can control. * Manage the systems that produce results in your business and your life. * Stop fire-killing. Become a fi re-control specialist! * Maximize profit, create client loyalty, and develop enthusiastic employees who respect you. * Identify insidious "errors of omission." * Maximize your biological and mechanical "prime time" so that you are working at optimum efficiency. * Design the life you want--and then, in the real world, quickly create it! You can keep doing what you have always done, and continue getting mediocre, unsatisfactory results. Or you can find the peace and freedom you've always wanted by transforming your business or corporate department into a finely tuned machine. About the Author Sam Carpenter, a telecommunications professional and business owner, has a background in engineering, construction, management, publishing, and journalism. He lives in Bend, Oregon.

I think everybody who's read a few business books has heard about "working ON your business instead of just working IN your business." However Sam Carpenter drives the point home in a way I've not seen done before. Most importantly, he shifted the questions I ask myself.Because of this book, now every time I find myself putting out a fire or reacting to a painful situation... being confronted by an unhappy customer about a ball that's been dropped... I ask, "What broken or non-existent system allowed this to happen?"The most persuasive part of this book is the contrast between Carpenter's frenetic life before vs. the serenity after. And the efficiency.Temperamentally, I'm not the type of person who is going to spend hours and hours perfecting logistical details and documenting things. I am a creative person, a visionary and an alchemist. But it still must be done. What that means for me is that *I* of all people need to craft the core manifestos, the guiding documents that comprise Sam Carpenter's system. Then I can see to it that the more methodical people on my team are in fact working the system.Most business owners don't fully appreciate how many of their employees will, so to speak, mount the toilet paper roll with the front side facing back until the very end of time. Stupidly and unthinkingly. UNLESS AND UNTIL SOMEONE MAKES THEM DO IT RIGHT. Most employees will stumble and bumble through broken systems and it will never, ever occur to them to stop and fix them, let alone create new ones.Only an enlightened owner will ever see to it that that happens. Carpenter does what so few other books had ever done, which was SELL ME on the benefits of giving this my attention.Carpenter also expresses the proper philosophy of an engineer, which is that everything in the world is operating exactly as it was designed to operate, with 100% efficiency... so if you don't like how it's operating, change the design. What a rare attitude.Now the question I'm asking myself is:"What broken or non-existent system, once repaired and fully in place, will relieve me from having to suffer with my other broken and non-existent systems?"