System Smarts - System Design with John Ackley

David Peter Stroh, a founding partner of Bridgeway Partners (www.bridgewaypartners.com), is internationally recognized for his work in enabling leaders to apply systems thinking to achieve breakthroughs around chronic, complex problems and to develop strategies which improve system-wide performance over time. He is the author of the new book Systems Thinking for Social Change: A Practical Guide for Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results (Chelsea Green, 2015).

Chris Brogan provides simple plans and projects for business success. He is CEO of Owner Media Group, a sought after public speaker, and the New York Times bestselling author of nine books and working on his tenth. Ask him about it! Chris lives in northern Massachusetts. His better half is Jacqueline Carly. Between the two of them, they have three kids, and love to explore many challenging and exciting hobbies and pastimes.

Larry Wall is a linguist, computer scientist, and community organizer. Larry is the creator of the Perl programming language along with many other useful software tools. Perl’s usefulness led to its popularity, which in turn led to a large community of developers and maintainers. We talk about the role of programming languages in systems, the evolution of Perl itself, and then explore the nature of the community that organized around Perl and its creator.

On August 14th I had the pleasure to speak at the 11th Podcamp Pittsburgh. As you have seen, System Smarts had a long period with no new episodes from March 2016 until August. I call this this my “dark period,” and I was eager to start publishing episodes again. The topic of my talk was fitting for me, restarting your podcast after an absence. This gave me two targets to hit by the same date: preparing a conference talk and actually relaunching System Smarts. Hoo boy! Nothing like accountability. Happily, I accomplished both which allows me to give you a peek behind the scenes of System Smarts and its recent relaunch. This episode is the audio from my talk. I’d like to thank Mike and Missy Sorg and their cadre of helpers for organizing Podcamp Pittsburgh, the longest running podcamp conference. You can catch replays of all the talks at podcamppittsburgh.com, including Melinda Helt and me pinch-hitting for the Blogging 201 session. Podcamp also had a lot of great sponsors including Point Park University who hosted us, BigBig, LibSyn, BluBrry, Pair Networks, Stream Pittsburgh, Work Hard Pittsburgh, Sorgatron Media, Bold Pittsburgh, Lyft, and Commonwealth Printing. It wouldn’t have happened without their support, so thank them if you get a chance.

John Melley is a Voice Actor and Business Audio Production Specialist from Boston, Massachusetts. John is the Production Director for Boston's award winning Mix 104.1 (WBMX) radio station. John is known throughout the Boston area and nationally for the great character voices he uses in commercials, promotions and announcements. John was recently heard on the TV commercials for the Jerry Seinfeld Production: “Long Story Short” Starring Colin Quinn. He has performed characters for Atari video games, audio books, corporate training, website audio. John is the creator and host of the Voice Over Marketing Podcast and you can listen and subscribe to it at Voice Over Marketing Podcast.com

Hello and welcome back to season two of System Smarts. Season one was awesome and I’ll keep up the momentum in season two with another great line up of guests. Over the next few months you’ll hear from scientists, artists, engineers, bee keepers, best-selling authors, and many more. Season two kicks off with a voice that you’ve heard on dozens of other podcasts, although you may not know it. I am still scheduling the latter part of the season, so if you know someone with a unique system you’d like to hear on the show, let me know! As a special bonus, there will be a series of previews of the new System Design course that I’ll be releasing later this summer. I am really excited about the course and eager to hear your feedback.

Paul Sokol is an electrical engineer by trade and the Campaign Builder Mad Scientist at Infusionsoft - a moniker earned due to his breadth of knowledge. His first experience with Infusionsoft was when he co-founded jiveSYSTEMS, a business-class video email platform, in 2008 while obtaining his Masters degree in signal processing from the University of Central Florida. The company still exists today and is successfully running very efficiently thanks to the automation capabilities of Infusionsoft. Since joining Infusionsoft formally as an employee in June 2011, he has provided over 1,000 hours of small business consulting and helped launch 200+ clients with Infusionsoft. He has authored the InfusionSoft Cookbook and numerous blog posts, been a guest on many webinars, and taught from stage at live events such as Infusionsoft's annual ICON. Currently, he works on the Small Business Success Method team as a Success Expert. When he isn't working or running his charity Keep Children Rockin, he can be found drumming in the local black metal band Elivagar and growing the Arizona heavy metal scene. System Ah-ha! Realizing that most of the process he was following could be automated with the tools he was selling, saving many minutes each time. Favorite System Tool S.T.A.C.T.S. (Strategies, Tactics, Assets, Contents, Tools, Skill) approach to system implementation. InfusionSoft's Campaign Builder Learning Resource InfusionSoft Cookbook, Paul Sokol (iscookbook.com, on Amazon) Scientific Advertising, Claude C. Hopkins (scientificadvertising.com/ScientificAdvertising.pdf) Digital Marketer (digitalmarketer.com) Gary Halbert (thegaryhalbertletter.com) Dan Kennedy (dankennedy.com) Advice “Go learn stuff!”  Contact Twitter: @voyicks LinkedIn: Voyicks PaulSokol.me (for Paul's email newsletter)

While pursuing a Finance Degree at the University of Michigan Paul had dreams of climbing the corporate ladder to the top. Soon after starting his climb in Chicago, he started seeing cracks in the corporate rat race. Lost in a sea of cubicles and endlessly crunching spreadsheets with no sense of gratification, Paul packed his backpack and headed to South America for two months, knowing he would never return to Corporate America. When he did return, Paul began research into home-based businesses that fueled his passion for sports, kids and business leading to investment in his first franchise, an afterschool sports enrichment program for kids. Business took off and Paul soon realized he would need to implement systems and put the right people and processes into place in order to create a business that ran itself and provided him a six figure income. Through many long nights, working weekends and no vacations, Paul was been able to implement and perfect his system to automate his franchise. By the start of 2015, Paul's franchises were running themselves which gave him the freedom to spend more time with family and growing his business. His hard work had paid off as he was able to sell his franchises for almost 7.5x his initial investment and 3x his net income. System Ah-ha! "What if I got hit by a bus?" This question gave Paul the realization that he needed to put the people, processes, and systems in place for the business to survive without him. Favorite System Tool Camtasia (for documenting established systems) Dropbox.com or Google Docs (for storing and sharing) Slack.com (for communicating with the team) Calendly.com or ScheduleOnce.com (for ease of scheduling) Learning Resource E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber Built to Sell, John Warrillow Topic-specific Facebook groups Advice “Start with the end in mind, have patience, and be persistent!”  Contact Twitter: @PaulMaskill Facebook: automateyourfranchise Automate Your Franchise podcast (iTunes) Website (automateyourfranchise.com)

Andrew Pavlick is a 3D content creator from Western Pennsylvania. Going against sound advice to pursue a degree in Information Technology. He decided to take a gamble and attend Bowling Green State University, where he earned a BFA with a focus in the Digital Arts. Since graduation he has worked on a variety of projects from content creation for mobile games, to training and medical simulation applications, and even 3d printing! Along with freelance and fulltime work, Andrew is also working towards forming a game studio called CAP Games. The studio's first title, “The Barnstormers,” places the player in the cockpit to battle for first place over iconic air race locations across the globe. The game will be available for both PC & console and will support select VR devices. System Ah-ha! Viewing the Maya hyper-graph of the 3D model in his college capstone animation project and glimpsing the logic and structure behind the "3d dark magic." Favorite System Tool Blender 3D open-source content creation, 3D modeling suite Trello.com for project management Learning Resource CGCookie.com for training in Blender 3D and other 3D and animation tech and art DigitalTutors.com for 3D art and game and animation development Advice “Don't let yourself stand in the way of doing something that you want to do.”  Contact Twitter: @Andrew_Pavlick AndrewPavlick.com

Gene Bellinger has been a passionate Systems Thinker for almost four decades. He is a highly respected member of the systems thinking community, a member of the System Dynamics Society, author of several hundred articles, and host of over 800 videos on Systems Thinking. In 2013 Gene coauthored Beyond Connecting the Dots: Modeling for Meaningful Results with Scott Fortmann-Roe, the developer of Insight Maker. For almost six years Gene hosted the Systems Thinking World discussion groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, a group of ~21,000 members focused on developing a better understanding of, and employing systems thinking principles. Gene is also the developer of the Systems-Thinking and SystemsWiki websites. He has been a major contributor to the development of Insight Maker, a web based modeling and simulation environment, and of Kumu, a web-based relationship-mapping environment. Presently Gene is actively engaged in developing the Systems Thinking World Kumu e-Learning Environment (STW KeLE), The Perspectives Project and the Systems Learning Sessions. System Ah-ha! Reading (in "Uncommon Sense") that studying Hydrogen and Oxygen does not let you understand the characteristic of "wetness." Favorite System Tool InsightMaker.com Kumu.io Cloudinary.com Learning Resource Uncommon Sense: The Life of Ludwig von Bertalanffy - Mark Davidson Thinking in Systems: A Primer - Donella Meadows The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization - Peter M. Senge Management Cybernetics - Barry Clemson Systems KeLe (https://kumu.io/stw/systems-kele) Search the Internet for "systems wiki" or "Gene Bellinger" Advice “Continue to ask, 'And?' in every situation."  Contact Twitter: @SystemsWiki Search the Internet for "Gene Bellinger" SystemsWiki.org

Dr. Derek Cabrera holds a PhD from Cornell University, has authored eight books, and is an internationally recognized expert in metacognition and systems thinking. His contributions to the field of systems thinking have been integrated into NSF, NIH, and USDA-NIFA programs nationwide. He has authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles and his research has been profiled in peer-reviewed journals, trade magazines, and popular publications. As a faculty member at Cornell University he designed and co-teaches (with his wife Laura Cabrera) the graduate course on systems thinking in Cornell’s Institute for Public Affairs. His theoretical models of systems thinking have had impact worldwide, and he is US patent holder and inventor of the “metacognitive mapping” diagramming method, the VMCL model of organizational design, a universal tactile manipulative called ThinkBlocks, and MetaMap software - a suite of systems thinking tools. System Ah-ha! Derek had a dream that all knowledge was connected. Favorite System Tool CRLab's Metacognitive mapping, ThinkBlocks, and MetaMap software. Learning Resource Systems Thinking Made Simple: New Hope for Solving Wicked Problems, Derek and Laura Cabrera (Amazon)  (eBook on iTunes) (Blog post about STMS Book - Link) (INCOSE Book Review - Link) VMCL Infographic: Build an adaptive organization. VMCL is a systems-based model for designing and leading organizations. NFST is a systems-based model for leading organizational change: (Link) DSRP Infographic: 3 Things Systems Thinkers DO. Infographic from a soon to be published paper of systems thinking in a research-level sample: (Link) MAC Infographic: For educators who want to develop systems thinking pedagogy/andragogy: (Link) SRBS Paper on how Systems Thinking/DSRP can develop EQ skills (prosocial, emotional intelligence, and a moral compass) in parallel with IQ skills (Link) A short film (12 minutes) on systems thinking/DSRP by Photosynthesis Productions: (Link) TED Talks: 1 - Link, 2 - Link Advice “If you practice the simple DSRP rules, systems thinking will emerge.”  Contact Twitter: @cabreraresearch CRLabs (crlab.us) (Facebook) ThinkWater project (thinkwater.us) (Facebook) System Thinking Daily (Blog) (Facebook)

Curt McNamara, P.E. is a practicing designer with 30 years experience in medical, commercial, and industrial markets. An active Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers member, Curt received the IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000 for his ongoing work in education. He has worked with the Biomimicry Institute to create content for the Biomimicry Toolbox, is a Biomimicry Education Fellow, and helps with the Biomimicry Education Network. Curt created and teaches the Systems and Innovation courses for the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) Master of Sustainable Design, and works to ensure that every student gets a grounding in the techniques of biomimicry and systems thinking. System Ah-ha! Curt's first Earth Day left him with the awareness that local actions have a global affect. Favorite System Tool "It depends." System mapping, for example GIGA-mapping, especially representing different perspectives. Learning Resource Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Science of Networks, Mark Buchanan Thinking in Systems: A Primer, Donella Meadows Design by Nature: Using Universal Forms and Principles in Design, Maggie McNabb Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, William McDonough Systems Thinking Made Simple New Hope for Solving Wicked Problems, Derek and Laura Cabrera Advice "Taking a systems approach is going to make everything easier and better."  Contact Minneapolis College of Art and Design: Masters in Sustainable Design (mcad.edu/faculty/curt-mcnamara) SystemDesignReview.com LinkedIn: Curt.McNamara    

Dr. Julian Maha graduated from the University of Calgary School of Medicine at the age of 23. As an Emergency Department and Emergency Medical Services medical director in the state of Alabama, Dr. Maha has also done hospital consulting on emergency room work and patient flow. When his oldest son was diagnosed with autism, Dr. Maha focused his attention on helping his son. This effort led him to found KultureCity: an impact driven nonprofit that has applied a startup model to the nonprofit world. Since its creation 20 months ago, KultureCity has become not only the best reviewed special needs nonprofit in the United States but also the fastest growing. Recent achievements include being named one of the Top 10 nonprofits in the US by Microsoft in 2015. With the impact of KultureCity and the change in the nonprofit world that it has brought, Dr. Maha has become a sought after speaker and consultant. He has spoken at numerous national and international conferences including Collision, Ignite and many more. He has also been interviewed and featured by national media such as Inc and IntoConnection. With KultureCIty, Dr. Maha has created an innovative approach to the nonprofit model that emphasizes impact and promotes sustainability. System Ah-ha! Bringing principles and practices of a lean startup business model to the nonprofit world. Favorite System Tool Having good mentors - getting good advise. Learning Resource KultureCity is developing information and education packs and videos to help organization reproduce their successes in a scalable way. Advice Always make sure your impact drives your mission! Contact KultureCity.org Facebook: kulturecity Twitter: @KultureC Instagram: KultureC

Randall Anway is a Registered Architect in New York and Connecticut.  He specializes in design research and is inspired by natural patterns and systems.  He holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut.   His Accreditations include Certified Biomimicry Specialist, LEED AP, and Certified Sustainable Building Advisor. Randall’s experience includes building systems research for the Army Corps of Engineers and facility information management at Xerox Corporation, as well as high-end residential design.  His research and design experience spans from software simulation to historical building materials and residential, commercial and institutional projects.  He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), INCOSE Natural Systems Working Group, and a founding member of Biomimicry NYC.  An occasional contributor to the online journal, Zygote Quarterly, he is constantly learning about the changing world of design.  Based near Long Island Sound in Connecticut, he offers consulting through his firm, New Tapestry, LLC. System Ah-ha! Observing the ecosystem of the Sonoran Desert Favorite System Tool Other people's imaginations Using cameras to think in a visual way Pen and Paper Learning Resource Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows Signals and Boundaries: Building Blocks for Complex Adaptive Systems by John Holland The Extended Organism: The Physiology of Animal-Built Structures by J. Scott Turner InsightMaker.com - A free dynamic modeling and simulation web application Advice “Apprenticing to the biological world means learning to observe and interact safely and productively.” Contact Facebook or LinkedIn: randallanway New Tapestry, LLC (new-tapestry.com) Biomimicry NYC (biomimicrynyc.com) Zygote Quarterly (zqjournal.org)

Steven Harris is a consultant and expert in the field of energy. He is the founder and CEO of Knowledge Publications, the largest energy only publishing company in the USA. Mr. Harris came to his current position to do full time work on the development and implementation of hydrogen, biomass and solar related energy systems after spending 10 years in the Aero-Thermal Dynamics department of the Scientific Labs of Chrysler Corporation, where he was a pioneer member of the group that developed and implemented successful Speed to Market development concepts. Mr. Harris has become a nationally recognized expert in the preparedness field.  He is the #1 all time appearing guest on The Survival Podcast with Jack Spirko. His hands on, no-nonsense approach to DIY home energy for disasters and family preparedness has helped hundreds of thousands of people in times of trouble. System Ah-ha! Steven has always thought in terms of systems. Favorite System Tool Pad of 24 in. by 36 in. newsprint and a gel pen Learning Resource Wikipedia Google Scholar and Google Books Khan Academy Advice “You can do it. Whatever you want to do, whatever you're thinking about, you can do it yourself... The world opens up when you ask.” Contact Steven's energy books can be found at KnowledgePublications.com Free preparedness classes and links to the battery bank pages are at Steven1234.com More about Steven can be discovered at StevenHarris.net

Diego Footer is founder and CEO of the Permaculture Voices Conference where his goal is to motivate and inspire people to push the limits, do great work, and live the life that they want to live through permaculture. With his wife and two daughters at his side he is planting out a future food forest in the arid climate of North County San Diego, converting his 3/4 acre suburban property into a functioning homestead using skills from his engineering background combined with permaculture principles to push the limits of sustainable production. Diego founded the Permaculture Voices conference to try to change the world in his own way. Using the conference and podcast, he shares the inspirational stories of amazing people doing great work within the regenerative agriculture and permaculture space. It is through this information exchange that he seeks to inspire people to go out and be the change that they want to see in the world. System Ah-ha! The surprise effects of giving a box of candy. Favorite System Tool Paper and Pen Evernote Calendar Learning Resource The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss Advice “If you are struggling, find someone who is successful doing what you're doing and see what they are doing different that you're not.” Contact Permaculture Voices Permaculture Voices 3 Conference The Urban Farmer California Book Tour with Curtis Stone (January 2016)

Dr. Tom Recher is host of The Positivity Effect Podcast, with Weekly Interviews to inspire listeners to dig deep within, to live a healthy, wealthy, fulfilling life, full of gratitude. He also a doctor of audiology at Mid-Island Audiology, serving New York City with clinical diagnostics, counseling, hearing rehabilitation and conservation. System Ah-ha! Studying the anatomy and functions of the ear and hearing system in college. Favorite System Tool Fantastical calendar app (flexibits.com/fantastical) Learning Resource The Tai Lopez Show Advice Be Kind. Be kind to yourself. Focus on compassion, gratitude, empathy and paying it forward. Contact Mid-Island Audiology (midislandaudiology.com) The Positivity Effect podcast (positivityeffect.com) Twitter @DrRecher

Aaron Pierson is a Digital Brand Strategist, Killer Content Creator, Film Maker, Author and Award Winning Designer. Aaron focuses on business solutions that encourage the promotional growth of digital entrepreneurs and content creators. He specializes in devising creative ways to maximize the full potential of a client’s digital footprint. Through many creative channels and “out of the box” methods, he helps his clients advance their brand and use consumer behavior to drive marketing. Communication is his passion; creative consultation is his vocation. System Ah-ha! Branding is everything, every interaction with your company (or you) leaves a mark. Favorite System Tool Asana Slack Learning Resource Pat Flynn, Smart Passive Income podcast, SPItv and smartpassiveincome.com Advice Be disruptive! Be a voice, not an echo. Contact AaronPierson.com The Brand Activator course (use discount code BOSSDISCOUNT for $200 off! mybrandactivator.com) Branding Like a Boss podcast @ap_creative on Twitter

In 2008 Jack Spirko founded The Survival Podcast where he coined the term modern survivalism, a philosophy based on 12 tenets that lead to self-sufficiency, self-reliance, independence, and personal liberty. Throughout the over 1690 episodes of the daily podcast, he has explored systems design at every level from personal safety to food production to business systems to large scale communities and the degree to which these are all connected. Jack is a student, practitioner, and teacher of Permaculture Design and sustainable agriculture. He has also been a long-time entrepreneur and proponent of small business. System Ah-ha! Military service maintaining diesel vehicles. Favorite System Tool Excel when determining if a for-profit venture can be profitable. White board Learning Resource Take a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) Advice Do Something! Contact The Survival Podcast NineMile.farm Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group 5 Minutes With Jack

Rob Hatch is the President and co-founder of Owner Media Group Inc. He is the author of three courses, including one of their most popular courses on productivity, Work Like You’re On Vacation. He is also an executive coach and speaker. Rob writes a weekly newsletter on the topics of productivity, personal management and success. He has over 20 years of experience leading organizations and businesses; working in large corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, and directing a non-profit organization serving children with special needs. Rob lives in Maine where he trains for triathlons and enjoys life with his wife and four children. System Ah-ha! Rob's friend's emergency vehicle systems. Favorite System Tool Paper, pencil and his calendar Learning Resource The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey Advice Use simple email filters and rules to take control of what you allow in and allow to influence you. Contact Rob's and Chris Brogan's email newsletter at owner.media/nl Owner Media Group at owner.media Work Like You're On Vacation course

Gerald M. Weinberg (Jerry) has always been interested in helping smart people be happy and productive. To that end, he has published books on human behavior, including Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method, The Psychology of Computer Programming, Perfect Software and Other Fallacies, and an Introduction to General Systems Thinking. He has also written books on leadership including Becoming a Technical Leader, The Secrets of Consulting (Foreword by Virginia Satir), More Secrets of Consulting, and the four-volume Quality Software Management series. System Ah-ha! The childhood game Pickup Sticks - "Everything is connected!" Favorite System Tool Brainstorming, Randomization, Role-playing, and Watching for Trigger words like, "We don't have to think about that." Learning Resource Design For A Brain by Ross Ashby An Introduction to Cybernetics by Ross Ashby Advice Don't take yourself too seriously - develop a good sense of humor. Contact geraldmweinberg.com A Gift of Time (anthology from readers, students, clients, colleagues, and friends of Jerry) Jerry's page at Leanpub.com (includes many of his books) Errors book (hint: Jerry's email address is on this page - send him an email and start a conversation) Jerry on Twitter: @JerryWeinberg  

Curtis Stone is an urban farmer, author, speaker and consultant. His area of expertise is in quick growing, high value annual vegetables for direct consumer market streams. His book, The Urban Farmer demonstrates organic intensive techniques with a focus on business and systems to streamline labour and production. Favorite System Tool Smart phone (with Siri) and Spreadsheets SketchUp Learning Resource The Tai Lopez Show Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn Permaculture Voices Podcast with Diego Footer Advice Start small and make it tight before expanding. Contact The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone (book website) GreenCityAcres.com ProfitableUrbanFarming.com The Urban Farmer Show on PermacultureVoices.com podcast Twitter: @GreenCityAcres Instagram: greencityacres

Kate Erickson is a creator, engager and implementer over at EOFire, a 7-day a week podcast that interviews today's most inspiring and successful entrepreneurs. She is also the host of Kate's Take: The EOFire Audio Blog and author of The Fire Path: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Your Online Business. Kate is passionate about helping entrepreneurs create freedom in their business and life through developing systems and processes that can help their business scale and grow. System Ah-ha! As a child, Kate actively organized her play groups - making sure things were in the right place so they worked together. Favorite System Tool SweetProcess.com Learning Resource Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown Advice "Just start ...take that one first step." Contact The Fire Path by Kate Erickson Kate's Take Episode 103 on Systems EOFire.com Entrepreneur on Fire podcasts (Kate's Take and Entrepreneur On Fire)  

“System Smarts” is a podcast about System Design. Every week, I’ll bring you an interview with a system designer from a broad range of industries and areas of interest. These personal views of systems for business and life have expanded my notions of what systems are and can be. Together, we will explore how entrepreneurs design business systems that free up more time and let them focus on their truest value. We will also hear how systems thinking has changed their life for the better. I’ve been designing and developing software-intensive systems for 30 years. I got switched onto systems engineering about a decade ago when I led a failed attempt to enter a national robotics challenge. And I've been studying and applying system design ever since. I've owned my own consulting practice and faced all the challenges of building and operating systems for a startup business. A few years ago, got certified to do Permaculture design which led to understanding natural systems and how we can improve business systems from the lessons learned from Nature. If you have a topic or example you’d like to hear about, just let me know. You can email me at john at johnackley.com. And speaking of email, if you like what you hear on this podcast, check out my free weekly email newsletter at johnackley.com/nl And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play.