There's an age you get to where you start slipping into the role of a mentor. That's not a bad thing. It's a sign that your experience and wisdom are recognised. And I personally enjoy working with young people, finding common ground between their unbridled enthusiasm and my battle-hardened experience.

One of the recent conversations I had with a young guy who came to see me was around the topic of systems thinking. But, naturally, that's not what he came to ask about.

He came to ask how to go about organising an event, and instead of getting a run sheet or a checklist from me, I asked, why do you want to run an event, especially when you’ve never done it before?

Thinking Beyond the Task

The conversation we ended up having took him from “I want to run an event” to “I want to create a movement.”

The difference came when we looked at the event, not in isolation, but as part of something bigger and more significant.

He had been focused on just doing the thing without understanding why the thing mattered.

I always thought that thinking in terms of the bigger picture was natural. It certainly seemed that way to me. But now, I see that most people focus on tasks in isolation, without considering the knock-on effects or the system that surrounds a single task.

The Power of Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is the ability to see the interconnectedness of everything. It’s about recognising that no task exists in a vacuum and that every action has ripple effects—some obvious, some hidden.

For example, my young friend just saw an event as an event.

He wanted to achieve something, and he saw an even as a way to do that.

So, the systems thinker in me naturally wanted to know more about what that think was that he wanted to achieve.

And that's where he brought up examples of other events, challenges and clubs and how they had inspired him in the past.

Now we were on to something!

This wasn't about an event at all - it was about impact beyond anything that a single moment in time could create. It was about skills development, creating industry capability and inspiring others to think differently towards a particular topic.

From this, we were able to extract that this event was really just a first step towards working out if there was demand for something more substantial in the future about the issue he was raising.

That's a movement.

By considering al the possibilities of where this one could lead to, it made it part of something bigger, more significant, and far more exciting to be part of.

And I could see something light up in his eyes as we explored what could be possible.

How to Think in Systems

What I walked this young guy through was not just how to organise an event, but how to think about organising an event.

1. Start with the Why: Before you even think about logistics, understand your purpose. Are you hosting an event to generate leads, build a community, raise awareness, or test an idea? The deeper your “why,” the more aligned your actions will be.

2. Identify the Ecosystem: What existing structures will impact or be impacted by your event? Is there an audience already engaged in this topic? Are there competitors or partners you should consider? What platforms will best serve your event’s goals?

3. Design for Scalability: Think beyond just one event. If it’s successful, what comes next? How will you maintain engagement with attendees after the event? Could this be turned into a recurring series, an online community, or a full-scale movement?

Once we reframed the task from an event to a movement, everything changed. His perspective shifted from “I need to get 20 people in a room” to “I need to inspire a group of people towards a shared vision.” The event became a step in a journey, not just an isolated task.

Systems Thinking in Everyday Life

This kind of thinking applies to nearly everything we do. Take my morning routine as an example.

I was asked the other night if I wanted to join in a board games night that started at 9pm on a weeknight.

A part of me wanted to say, "Yes!"

But then my systems thinking kicked in.

I'm usually in bed by 9.30pm so I can wake up at 5am for gym. But surely missing one morning of gym wouldn't hurt. But it's not really about just gym, is it? It's also about being in the office by 7am so I can get my most important work done before everyone else arrives. But it's just one day. No, it's more than this. It's the whole day that will be impacted. I'll be tired. I'll be grumpy. I have important meetings. I'll get home and won't have the energy to do any chores. If I don't do the chores, I'll have to do them the next night, but I have an event on that night, so it's going to be pushed to the weekend. Ugh. One little unplanned board games night is going wreck most of my week!

And now you have a little bit of insight into the way my mind works.

But this is what systems thinking is.

By considering the broader system, the chances of your long-term success increase dramatically because you make better long-term decisions.

It's never about the games night. It's about the 27 other things that games night impacts on.

And likewise, for my young friend, it's not about the event. It's about all the things that the event could lead to.

In my life, I've noticed that the most effective people aren’t just good at completing tasks. They’re good at understanding how those tasks connect to something greater.

The Task is Never Just the Task

Most people stop at execution. They focus on ticking items off their to-do list. But the ones who stand out? They see the bigger picture.

I suppose that is something that I had not considered before this week.

A mate of jokes that my brain is like Keanu Reeves' character in The Matrix.

He reckons that I am able to read the "code" in the world around me.

I think that he's referring to my tendency to think in terms of systems, rather than in terms of individual tasks, people or actions.

While one frustrated driver in traffic sees a gap they can slip right in to in the next lane, regardless of the fact that it causes the person they are cutting in front of to slam on their brakes.

Meanwhile, I don't just see the gap, but the car slamming their brakes, which then causes the next fifty cars behind them to slam on their brakes - causing another three drivers to attempt to change lanes when they find a gap, only to cause another 150 drivers to slam on their brakes, and... well I think you get the picture.

One impatient, self-absorbed driver is the catalyst for a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam on your way home.

Sometimes it's exhausting having a mind that works like this.

But it's this same ability that has helped me become the very person I am, and the reason why this guy shouted me a coffee.

Something tells me that you have something in you - like the way you think about things - that is the reason why people seek you out, too.