Key Takeaways
- Business owners are wired for vision, not documentation — and that’s okay
- AI accelerates what you already have: clear processes get faster, messy ones get messier
- A Systems Champion owns systemization so you can focus on growth
- Look for someone organized, curious, and good with people
- Hire for mindset, not experience
Business owners shouldn’t lead or fill the role of documentation and systemization because their visionary wiring makes them poorly suited for detail-oriented, repetitive documentation work. Instead, this responsibility belongs to a dedicated team member who owns the documentation, implementation, and maintenance of business processes. This role is called a Systems Champion.
If that feels like permission to stop beating yourself up over half-finished SOPs, it is.
Most business owners have tried to systemize and failed. That’s completely normal. The ones who succeed are the ones who stop doing it themselves and find the right person to own it.
And in the age of AI, finding that person has never been more urgent. AI doesn’t fix broken processes. It accelerates what you already have. Clear processes? AI makes you 10 times faster. Messy processes? AI makes the mess bigger. The companies winning right now are process-first. The companies losing are throwing AI at chaos.
Why Business Owners Can’t Lead Systemization
The very traits that make you a visionary—seeing opportunities, connecting ideas, driving growth—make you poorly suited for repetitive, detail-heavy documentation.
- Strategic Misalignment. Every hour you spend writing SOPs is an hour you’re not steering the business. Your role is to focus on growth, innovation, and high-level decisions. When you try to do it all yourself, the business loses its strategic driver.
- Process Blindness. As the business owner, you see the outcome, not every step that leads there. Documenting processes yourself risks creating workflows that only work in theory, or only work when you’re personally involved.
- Scaling & Leverage. You can’t scale a business if every process depends on you. A dedicated Systems Champion multiplies your impact: while they own documentation and implementation, you can focus on strategy. The business can function, expand, and innovate without your constant presence.
David Jenyns, author of SYSTEMology and Systems Champion, learned this the hard way. He spent years trying to document processes himself.
“I’d start documenting a process, get halfway through, and I’d be tweaking it and trying to make it just right, make it perfect,” he explains. “But I was also juggling 60 other tasks at the same time.” Three months later? Half-finished documents delivering zero results.
The pattern is familiar to most business owners. Systemization is important, but it never feels urgent. So it sits on the to-do list while marketing, sales, and client delivery scream louder. The business stays dependent on you. You can’t take a vacation. You can’t scale. You’re trapped.
That experience inspired the Systems Champion role.
The Systems and AI Champion Role
A Systems Champion is the one person in your business who owns systemization. Think of them as the department head of your “systems” department. This isn’t your COO or operations manager. The Systems Champion reports to those roles.
Today, this role often includes AI oversight: not only documenting processes but identifying which can be automated, and where human judgment is still needed.
The role works on three pillars: documentation, tools, and culture. Documentation creates the foundation. Tools, including AI, multiply efficiency. Culture ensures the team actually follows the systems and adopts new technology.
The best part? They love this work. What drains you energizes them.
What to Look For in a Systems Champion
Not everyone is cut out for this role. But the right traits matter more than experience.
- Naturally organized. They crave structure. They love creating order from chaos and get satisfaction from closing loops.
- Curious about how things work. They ask “why” questions to understand the logic behind decisions. That curiosity makes them effective at evaluating AI tools.
- Great with people. A Systems Champion needs to interview team members, get buy-in, and help the team adapt to new AI-powered workflows without resistance.
Where to Find Your Systems Champion
Start by looking inside your business. There might already be someone who fits this profile. They suggest improvements without being asked. They organize team spreadsheets on their own. They get frustrated when things are inconsistent.
If no one comes to mind, hire someone junior with the right traits. You don’t need 10 years of experience. Systems thinking can be taught. AI fluency can be developed. Those core organizational traits are harder to find.
One client, Ryan Stannard, runs a residential building company in Adelaide. He identified his daughter Eryn as his Systems Champion. She was new to the business and had zero systems experience, but the right mindset. Eryn plugged into the SYSTEMology ecosystem and completely transformed the business.
A Systems Champion doesn’t cost you money. They make you money by increasing efficiency, reducing errors, and building the foundation for AI-powered processes.
Time to Hand Off the SOP Reins
You’re a visionary, not a documenter. The faster you accept that, the faster your business can prepare for what’s coming.
For an in-depth insight into the role, grab a copy of the Systems Champion book. And when you’re ready to find your Systems and AI Champion, download the position description.
