Show Notes
Edward asks: "I spent months documenting our processes in Notion. The problem? My team ignores them and asks me the same questions over and over. How do you actually get people to use the systems you build?"
In this episode, Scott calls out Edward's hidden control trap (you're still getting an ego boost from being the answer), explains why people flow to the path of least resistance, and shares the "I don't know" technique that stopped his team from treating him like a human AI. You'll learn why going from knowing everything to knowing nothing is the key, and when ignored SOPs actually reveal a staffing gap.
The bottom line: Stop being the easiest answer. Say "I don't know." Your team will start using the systems when you stop being the path of least resistance.
Got a business question? Ask Scott here: https://scotttodd.net/ask
📜 Full Transcript (Click to expand)
Scott Todd (00:00)
Welcome to Fix My Business, the show that, well, helps you fix your business in the way that we do it is we answer the audience's questions so that we can learn where people are stuck. We can look at a different way of doing things so that we don't fall into that same trap. I'm your host, Scott Todd, and today's question comes from Edward. And Edward writes, I spent months documenting our processes and notion. That's a great thing. The problem?
my team ignores them and ask me the same questions over and over. How do you actually get people to use the systems you build? ⁓ Edward, here's the deal, my friend.
you're in the control trap and you don't even realize it and you're like, but wait, but wait, but wait, I don't want to be in the control trap. I don't want to control this stuff. But yet when people come to you, you provide them the answer. Therefore, in some way, you're still getting enjoyment out of answering these questions. It's still that ego hit. It's that boost that you're wanting. It's not an ego hit. It's that ego boost because all of a sudden,
you feel important in your business again, even if you don't want it. It's the truth. I've been there. Okay, like I have been you so many times. But here's the reality. The reality is that people will flow to the path of least resistance. Think about that for a second. When you are the path of least resistance, when you are the easier of the answers, then they will come to you. They will flock to you. Think about this one for second.
Think about just a couple years ago before AI hit us like the ton of bricks that it is. We used to Google everything. Think about that. When was the last time that you Googled something? Seriously, Google is work because I type into Google and it gives me all of these listings. I don't think I've clicked on a single Google link, top 10 link in forever.
I can guarantee you I haven't been on the second page of Google in years, years, because AI is the path of least resistance. I don't have to think about it, neither do you. It's nuts. It really is nuts because I can just go ask a question, I get a response back. Whereas if I just Googled something, then I have to search it and read it. It's painful. So the path of least resistance, where are we going to? You're the path of least resistance.
Edward, think about that. You are the path to least resistance. Like I said, I was you. I've been there and I've heard the Scott, how do I, Scott, how do I, Scott, how do I? I mean, and if you were like me, you're probably this is what you're probably doing. You're like, hey, it's a notion. Go back over there or here's the link to it, which means that you're stopping. You're stopping and finding the link to it in a notion. That's what I did.
People would say to me, Scott, where is the stand? I'd it's in Notion here. Here's the link. I was serving as the AI for them instead of making them do the work. So how did I stop it? Well, I stopped it by simply saying, I don't know, or, wow, that's a great question. I don't recall, or I can't remember. See, I went from being what I would
what I would term like the smartest dude in my business to the guy who doesn't know anything. Write that one down. You want to go from knowing things in your business to knowing nothing. Because when you know nothing, people will stop coming to you. Now you could know everything in your business and you should. I mean not everything in your business, but you should know what's going on in your business. But you cannot, there's no way that you can sustain and grow your business.
while you remain in that control trap or that bottleneck, whatever it is, because it will never stop and you will only be able to grow to the capacity of you. Think about this example for a minute. In a big company like, I don't know, pick your biggest company out there. Do you think that the CEO knows how to do things at, say, a lower level within the organization? They don't. They have no clue.
They have no understanding of how things work. Maybe at a surface level they do, but in application, they couldn't tell you. They couldn't tell you. The CEO of Walmart probably does not know how to ring things up on the cash register. He could probably scan the groceries over the barcode, but if he had to go look something up, he'd be lost. Okay, and that's fine. That's not his job to go do that. It's not his job to know it. He's got people to go do that.
And I think that that's the mindset that you have to take is you have to take the mindset that you are the CEO of the company. The CEO is not going to know everything, nor are they going to point everything in that direction. In my company, for a very long time, I built all of the technology, the systems, the automation. I was the guy in charge of the email addresses and everything.
And basically I got tired of it because people would email me and they'd say, well, know, my computer's not working. And I just want to say like, I don't know, I'm not tech support. But that's the other limitation is sometimes when you're in a smaller business, you are it. And if that's the case, and you are the only resource that they have, then that also identifies an opportunity gap.
means that you need someone within your company who can do what, well, what they need because they're coming to you because maybe there's nobody else that's there. But Edward, you said that you've documented everything in Notion, they're just not using it. That's what you have to redirect them to. That's the mindset that you need is, hey, I'm just not going to answer the questions for you, okay? So, Edward, stop knowing everything. And if you have a question, let's get it answered. Head over to scotttodd.net forward slash ask.
Put your question over there and I will see you in our next episode.
Welcome to Fix My Business, the show that, well, helps you fix your business in the way that we do it is we answer the audience's questions so that we can learn where people are stuck. We can look at a different way of doing things so that we don't fall into that same trap. I'm your host, Scott Todd, and today's question comes from Edward. And Edward writes, I spent months documenting our processes and notion. That's a great thing. The problem?
my team ignores them and ask me the same questions over and over. How do you actually get people to use the systems you build? ⁓ Edward, here's the deal, my friend.
you're in the control trap and you don't even realize it and you're like, but wait, but wait, but wait, I don't want to be in the control trap. I don't want to control this stuff. But yet when people come to you, you provide them the answer. Therefore, in some way, you're still getting enjoyment out of answering these questions. It's still that ego hit. It's that boost that you're wanting. It's not an ego hit. It's that ego boost because all of a sudden,
you feel important in your business again, even if you don't want it. It's the truth. I've been there. Okay, like I have been you so many times. But here's the reality. The reality is that people will flow to the path of least resistance. Think about that for a second. When you are the path of least resistance, when you are the easier of the answers, then they will come to you. They will flock to you. Think about this one for second.
Think about just a couple years ago before AI hit us like the ton of bricks that it is. We used to Google everything. Think about that. When was the last time that you Googled something? Seriously, Google is work because I type into Google and it gives me all of these listings. I don't think I've clicked on a single Google link, top 10 link in forever.
I can guarantee you I haven't been on the second page of Google in years, years, because AI is the path of least resistance. I don't have to think about it, neither do you. It's nuts. It really is nuts because I can just go ask a question, I get a response back. Whereas if I just Googled something, then I have to search it and read it. It's painful. So the path of least resistance, where are we going to? You're the path of least resistance.
Edward, think about that. You are the path to least resistance. Like I said, I was you. I've been there and I've heard the Scott, how do I, Scott, how do I, Scott, how do I? I mean, and if you were like me, you're probably this is what you're probably doing. You're like, hey, it's a notion. Go back over there or here's the link to it, which means that you're stopping. You're stopping and finding the link to it in a notion. That's what I did.
People would say to me, Scott, where is the stand? I'd it's in Notion here. Here's the link. I was serving as the AI for them instead of making them do the work. So how did I stop it? Well, I stopped it by simply saying, I don't know, or, wow, that's a great question. I don't recall, or I can't remember. See, I went from being what I would
what I would term like the smartest dude in my business to the guy who doesn't know anything. Write that one down. You want to go from knowing things in your business to knowing nothing. Because when you know nothing, people will stop coming to you. Now you could know everything in your business and you should. I mean not everything in your business, but you should know what's going on in your business. But you cannot, there's no way that you can sustain and grow your business.
while you remain in that control trap or that bottleneck, whatever it is, because it will never stop and you will only be able to grow to the capacity of you. Think about this example for a minute. In a big company like, I don't know, pick your biggest company out there. Do you think that the CEO knows how to do things at, say, a lower level within the organization? They don't. They have no clue.
They have no understanding of how things work. Maybe at a surface level they do, but in application, they couldn't tell you. They couldn't tell you. The CEO of Walmart probably does not know how to ring things up on the cash register. He could probably scan the groceries over the barcode, but if he had to go look something up, he'd be lost. Okay, and that's fine. That's not his job to go do that. It's not his job to know it. He's got people to go do that.
And I think that that's the mindset that you have to take is you have to take the mindset that you are the CEO of the company. The CEO is not going to know everything, nor are they going to point everything in that direction. In my company, for a very long time, I built all of the technology, the systems, the automation. I was the guy in charge of the email addresses and everything.
And basically I got tired of it because people would email me and they'd say, well, know, my computer's not working. And I just want to say like, I don't know, I'm not tech support. But that's the other limitation is sometimes when you're in a smaller business, you are it. And if that's the case, and you are the only resource that they have, then that also identifies an opportunity gap.
means that you need someone within your company who can do what, well, what they need because they're coming to you because maybe there's nobody else that's there. But Edward, you said that you've documented everything in Notion, they're just not using it. That's what you have to redirect them to. That's the mindset that you need is, hey, I'm just not going to answer the questions for you, okay? So, Edward, stop knowing everything. And if you have a question, let's get it answered. Head over to scotttodd.net forward slash ask.
Put your question over there and I will see you in our next episode.