Few nights ago, I came across a short video¹ by Dr. Abdullah AlAmeer that lingered with me longer than I expected. He spoke about why enthusiasm is unreliable and why people fail not because they are lazy, but because they depend too heavily on motivation. It’s something we all intuitively know but rarely act on. Enthusiasm is volatile. It surges, it fades, and when it disappears, progress disappears with it. We often mistake that fading energy for a failure of character, but in truth, it’s biology at play. The brain rewards novelty with dopamine, that quick burst of excitement you feel when starting something new. However, as soon as familiarity sets in, the reward system quiets down. Without a structure to absorb that chemical dip, most people crash, rationalize, and stop altogether. The cycle then restarts, only to repeat itself again.

Setting goals, while important, is rarely enough because goals depend on two unreliable forces: 1) motivation, and 2) willpower. Both fluctuate with sleep, nutrition, stress, conflict, and mood. They are environmental variables, not dependable constants. To build progress on them is to build on emotion.

Instead of centering everything around goals, there should be an emphasis on our focus shifting toward building systems: frameworks of behavior that are small, measurable, and repeatable, designed to function regardless of how you feel. Systems, unlike goals, don’t care about mood swings or bursts of inspiration. They run quietly in the background, breaking ambition into manageable, repeatable steps that are woven into the fabric of your day. He outlined five anchors for building effective systems in what is a a simple yet powerful framework. I’ve taken the liberty of adding a sixth, one I believe is critical to complete the picture. Naturally, this assumes we have already defined why we have a goal to begin with. "Why" is a question often skipped but fundamental to direction and discipline. The “why” gives purpose to the system; without it, even the best-designed frameworks lose meaning. I’ll dive deeper into that in a separate essay, but for now, it’s worth noting that the framework is only as useful as the clarity of the “why” behind it.

‍1. Place: Where the Action Happens

Every system begins with environment. We must define exactly where the behavior occurs or in other words, the place shapes the pattern. Whether it’s the gym where you train, the desk where you write, or the room where you think, the physical or digital environment reinforces intent. The mind associates space with action, and over time, that association lowers resistance.

In a corporate context, place becomes the arena of focus:  the market segment, the operational unit, or the customer base you are intentionally designing around. A system that doesn’t define its arena drifts.

2. Time: When It Happens

Time gives your system structure. It’s the anchor point that turns intention into a real, scheduled commitment. By deciding when something happens, you turn vague goals into time-bound actions. Consistency here signals to your brain that this activity is non-negotiable. Assign a day, an hour, a slot to make it real.

In organizations, time is expressed through cadence: fixed schedules for reviews, stand-ups, or steering meetings. It answers when the work happens and establishes predictability. Without this temporal anchor, effort remains abstract in the form of “sometime soon."

3. Action: What Actually Happens

Clarity of action is what separates intention from execution. Don’t say “I’ll work out.” Say “I’ll do thirty minutes of weights, focused on back and shoulders.” Specificity tells your brain exactly what to do next and removes the friction of choice.

In a company, action is not “drive innovation” or “grow revenue.” It is “launch three validated concepts through quarterly design sprints,” or “test two new commercial models this month.” Systems thrive on verbs, not slogans.

‍4. Trigger: What Sets It in Motion

Every system needs a spark: a cue that signals it’s time to begin. For individuals, that could be laying out your running shoes the night before, brewing your morning coffee before deep work, or opening the same playlist when it’s time to write.

In teams, trigger can take many forms: data thresholds that signal a pivot, a customer insight that initiates a sprint, or a performance metric that prompts action. Systems thrive on clarity of signal. When everyone knows what triggers movement, the organization stops waiting for permission to act.

‍5. Frequency: How Often It Happens

Frequency is what transforms structure into momentum. It’s not about when you start but rather  how often you return. Repetition compounds effort and builds habit; it’s the heartbeat that keeps a system alive long after motivation fades.

Within organizations, frequency defines the operating rhythm which is essentially how often those cadences repeat: daily stand-ups, weekly sprint reviews, quarterly retrospectives. It’s what differentiates a one-time initiative from a living system. The tighter and more predictable the rhythm, the stronger the organizational muscle becomes.

While the above five pillars explain how systems form, it is important to understand how they sustain. A system can define its place, timing, and rhythm perfectly but without someone accountable for maintaining it, it eventually fades. That missing piece that turns systems from processes into cultures is ownership.

‍6. Ownership: Who Keeps It Alive

A system without ownership is a wish. Ownership defines who is accountable not just for taking the action, but for maintaining the rhythm. It’s the person or team responsible for ensuring the system survives enthusiasm, scales discipline, and adapts when conditions change. Ownership is what converts structure into culture. It gives every pillar a steward, someone who measures progress, enforces rhythm, and keeps the system honest.

In organizations, ownership transforms ambiguity into accountability. It’s the difference between “someone should do this” and “this person owns this.” When ownership is clearly defined, teams stop waiting for consensus and start acting with clarity. Every system needs a designated owner who holds the pen on the process.

This six-anchor framework transforms vague intentions into structured behavior. It replaces abstraction with precision, turning “I’ll try” into “I will, at this time, in this way, and for this reason.” The brain loves predictability; it performs best when the parameters are clear. The more ambiguity you remove, the more energy you free up for actual execution. Now, imagine applying this at scale. Every year, leadership teams set ambitious goals like “drive innovation,” “improve culture,” or “create new revenue streams.” They sound inspiring but collapse under the weight of their vagueness. They’re the corporate equivalent of saying “I want to get fit.” Everyone agrees, no one disagrees, and nothing changes. Without defined systems that articulate where the opportunity lies, who owns it, when it’s activated, how it’s measured, and what triggers it, ambition becomes theater.

This is where many leaders get it wrong. They believe that systems stifle creativity, when in truth, systems enable it. Creativity without structure burns bright and fast, but rarely scales. A system doesn’t replace creativity but rather it gives it rhythm, discipline, and longevity. An innovation system ensures every idea is validated before funding. A growth system ensures revenue experiments are tracked, tested, and iterated. A culture system ensures that feedback flows continuously rather than annually. Systems do not hinder innovation; they are what make innovation sustainable. They provide clarity where chaos often hides, and they allow teams to experiment freely within defined boundaries. Structure is not the enemy of creativity, it’s the scaffolding that allows it to expand safely and persist long after enthusiasm fades.

Over time, repetition gives rise to identity. Effort turns into habit, habit into rhythm, and rhythm into momentum. You stop needing to push yourself forward because the system begins to pull you there naturally. That’s the quiet power of design: not just to build what works, but to build what matters and endures.

People don’t fail because they lack ambition; they fail because their ambition lacks architecture.

A wish says: "I hope this happens."

A goal says: "I’ll try."

A system says: "Here’s exactly how it will happen, every day, regardless of how I feel."

The same is true for organizations. The companies that endure aren’t necessarily those with the boldest goals or the most inspiring visions. They’re the ones that invest in invisible machinery: the operating systems that make alignment instinctive, decision-making repeatable, and accountability structural. The leaders who understand this don’t depend on enthusiasm to sustain culture or innovation. They design systems of rhythm, alignment, and feedback that make progress inevitable.

Because in the end, we don’t rise to the level of our goals.. we fall to the level of our systems.²

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¹ Dr. Abdullah AlAmeer’s short video that inspired this piece: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzkvmI6jpXM&t=39s

² Reference from "Atomic Habits" by James Clear; a reminder that success is less about intensity and more about infrastructure.