Podcast Summary: “You Have to Have A System!”

Podcast: Leading Organizations That Matter
Host: Ray Spadoni
Episode: 92
Date: November 18, 2025

Overview

In this brief, insight-packed episode, Ray Spadoni explores the vital importance of developing, using, and consistently maintaining a personal system for organization and follow-through. Aimed at leaders and anyone vested in mission-driven organizations, the episode underscores how success is less about fancy tools and more about discipline and commitment to a structure that works for you. Spadoni shares memorable anecdotes contrasting different styles—from analog note-taking to tech-obsessed productivity approaches—and makes a compelling case that “having a system” is foundational for credibility, effectiveness, and accountability in leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Central Role of Having a System [00:10–01:22]

• Definition: A system is “the methodology and the associated tools that a person uses to remember stuff, to track details, to know when something’s due...to collate, organize, parse and make sense of both connected and disparate bits of information.”
• Evolution: What was once simply “getting organized” is today’s “personal knowledge management,” “organization,” or even “creating your second brain.”
• The Point: Regardless of terminology, commitment to a system is essential—not optional—for sustained effectiveness.

The Importance of Discipline and Commitment [01:22–02:34]

• Beyond Tools: Many professionals have access to tools or apps, but lack a true system woven into daily practice.
• Devotion Over Sophistication: “A system is something that you’re committed to using religiously. This takes discipline and clarity of thought. You have to use the system over time. It must be integrated into your life such that you are going to feel lost without it. That’s a system. That’s your system.” (Ray Spadoni, [01:39])

Anecdote: The Bulletproof Steno Pad [02:35–03:16]

• Simple Yet Effective: Spadoni recalls a COO whose entire system was a simple steno pad. Her consistency made it “bulletproof”—not the tool’s sophistication.
• How She Used It: During every interaction, she’d jot notes and use personal margin codes for task triage.
• Outcome: She never forgot deliverables—her reliability was absolute.

“I knew that I’d be staring into the face of X, Y, and Z at our next meeting. Bulletproof.”
— Ray Spadoni [03:07]

The Trap of Shiny Tools and Inconsistent Systems [03:17–03:42]

• Tech Temptations: Others used cutting-edge apps, syncing across devices and often enchanted by new technology or AI.
• Mixed Results: “Sometimes these individuals succeeded, sometimes they didn’t,” and the sophisticated digital systems were not more effective than the humble steno pad.

Leadership Without a System—How it Harms Accountability [03:43–04:38]

• The “Agendaless” CEO: Spadoni’s experience with a high-level executive who never took notes or used agendas:
  • Without recording commitments, follow-through and organizational memory suffer.
  • Lack of accountability trickles down; promises go unfulfilled, and team members aren’t motivated to deliver either.
• Lesson: Even the most senior leaders can fall into this trap, and the consequences are organizational.

"Even the highest level people need to take notes, jot down reminders, and remember things."
— Ray Spadoni [04:15]

Actionable Advice [04:39–05:13]

• Early Career: Start developing a system now—whatever it is, stick to it religiously.
• Mid/Career Professionals: It’s never too late to adopt a system; tool sophistication matters less than habitual devotion.
• Final Thought: “It’s not about the sophistication of the tool, it’s about your devotion to it.” ([05:10])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On what a system really is:

  “A system is something that you’re committed to using religiously. This takes discipline and clarity of thought.”
  (Ray Spadoni, [01:39])

• On simplicity:

  “That was not because of the sophistication of the tool, but rather because of her devotion to it every day...”
  (Ray Spadoni, [02:53])

• On ineffective leadership:

  “His promises might never be fulfilled, not because of bad intentions, but rather because of forgetfulness and even worse, I myself felt little pressure to deliver on my own personal promises because I understood that he would not hold me accountable for them. Needless to say, this is bad.”
  (Ray Spadoni, [04:30])

• Advice for all professionals:

  “If you are early on in your career, develop a system and stick to it. If you are later on in yours, it’s not too late to start using one.”
  (Ray Spadoni, [05:01])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Main Theme Introduction: [00:09–01:22]
• Defining a “System”: [01:22–02:08]
• Steno Pad COO Story: [02:35–03:16]
• Digital Tools & Their Pitfalls: [03:17–03:42]
• CEO Without a System & Impact: [03:43–04:38]
• Actionable Advice for Listeners: [04:39–05:13]

Ray Spadoni’s message is clear and motivational: The secret to leadership reliability and effectiveness is not the latest tool, but having an organizational system—any system—that you practice unwaveringly. Whether you’re on the front lines or leading an entire organization, this episode makes a compelling case to commit to a system that works for you—starting now.