Reader resources for The Systems-Building LeaderFind your starting point ↗
Reader resources for The Systems-Building LeaderFind your starting point ↗
Use the book
Free, printable versions of all eighteen Field Guide Tools from The Systems-Building Leader, ready for a three-ring binder.
The Field Guide Workbook
Every Field Guide Tool from the book, laid out on letter-size pages with room to write. Tab dividers for each pillar. A Tool Log to track what each tool surfaced and what you committed to.
81 pagesFreePrint and copy for use within your own team or organization
81pages
Setting up your binder
Need just one tool? Each tool below prints on its own and carries its own page numbers.
01
Print single-sided on letter paper. The wide left margin is reserved for three-hole punching.
02
Add three tab dividers: Build Trust, Develop Expertise, Create Empowerment.
03
Print a fresh copy each time you run a tool. Date it and file it behind the earlier one.
04
Record each run in the Tool Log at the back.
Part OneChapters 1 to 6
#1
Chapter 1
Trust Is More Than a Personality Trait
Best used at the start of a leadership role and annually thereafter.
#2
Chapter 2
Stewardship: Leaders Who Design Systems
Best used when the leader suspects their time is being consumed by work the system should handle.
#3
Chapter 3
Accountability: Moving Beyond Micromanagement
Best used when oversight feels necessary and the goal is to make it unnecessary.
#4
Chapter 4
Communication: Synchronizing Signals
Best used when the leader suspects a gap between what they say and what the organization hears.
#5
Chapter 5
Psychological Safety: When Honesty Is Rewarded
Best used after a difficult team dynamic or before a major change.
#6
Chapter 6
Continuity During Change
Best used before any major change is announced.
Part TwoChapters 7 to 12
#7
Chapter 7
Expertise Is Not Intelligence
Best used before working through Part Two and as a quarterly calibration.
#8
Chapter 8
Stop Asking Who Failed
Best used whenever the same type of problem recurs.
#9
Chapter 9
Metrics Governance: Informed Decision-making
Best used during any metrics review or when the dashboard has grown unwieldy.
#10
Chapter 10
When You Don’t Have All the Facts
Best used before committing to any significant decision with incomplete information.
#11
Chapter 11
Operating Cadence: Learning from Experience
Best used when the organization keeps relearning the same lessons.
#12
Chapter 12
Strategic Tradeoffs: The Discipline of Saying No
Best used during strategic planning or initiative prioritization.
Part ThreeChapters 13 to 18
#13
Chapter 13
Empowerment Is Not Delegation
Best used before announcing empowerment or expanding delegation.
#14
Chapter 14
System Design: Build Things That Don’t Need You
Best used when the leader’s involvement is required too often for the operation to function independently.
#15
Chapter 15
Calibrated Authority: Right Level Right Time
Best used quarterly and whenever a team member’s performance changes.
#16
Chapter 16
Growth Infrastructure: Development by Design
Best used as a standing reference for every significant development conversation.
#17
Chapter 17
Reinforcement Loops: Making Change Stick
Best used when a change has launched and the question is whether it will hold.
#18
Chapter 18
Ownership Endurance: Protecting the Energy
Best used quarterly and whenever the team’s initiative or decision quality seems to be declining.
Start Here matches the problem you have now to the right chapter and tool.