Stop Blaming Your People.
Start Fixing Your Systems.

A full-day systems thinking workshop with Derrick Mains — Emmy Award–winning storyteller, five-time author, creator of The System, and Vistage Worldwide's 2025 Top Speaker — and Bill Green of Vibe Optimizer. Walk away with 7+ tools to see your business in a completely different light.

April 23, 2026 · 9 AM – 3 PM · Detroit Golf Club · $249

Get Your Ticket - $249

Your business catches fire so often you should probably just move

You walk in with a plan. By 10 AM, you're in triage. Strategic thinking keeps getting bumped by whatever's loudest — and the same fires keep reigniting.

You spend 80% of your time talking about people and events

"This business would be easy if it weren't for the people." You've thought it. Maybe said it. But what if the people aren't the problem?

You're the battery. Pull you out, and everything stops

Your team waits for you to decide, follow up, re-explain. You don't create momentum — you ARE the momentum. And it's exhausting.

You've hired great people and watched them underperform

Michael Jordan was the worst professional baseball player in history. Not because he lacked talent — because the system was wrong. Same thing is happening in your business.

Make the Real Work Visible

Stop reacting to fires and start seeing the patterns underneath. You'll learn to diagnose system problems before they become people problems.

Uncover Friction and Failure Points

Map how work actually flows — not the org chart fantasy. Identify the two types of friction killing your execution: Logs (complete stops) and Snails (slow zones).

Improve Culture and Communication

When people who are expected to use the system help design it, everything changes. Better handoffs, clearer ownership, less drama.

Control and Measure Time

Add the "fourth dimension" to your operations. Learn why touch time vs. elapsed time is the diagnostic that reveals where your margin actually goes.

Design a Smarter Way Forward

Analyze, Design, Train, Enforce — a perpetual improvement cycle that makes your business better every week, not just during annual planning retreats.

A Completely Different Perspective

You're going to see your business in a completely different light. These tools will change how you think about every operational challenge you face.

8:30a

Doors Open

Arrive early, grab coffee, and connect with other leaders before we start.

8:30a

9:00 – 10:30 AM

The System Is the Problem

Why 94% of business problems are system problems wearing people costumes. Reframe how you see every operational challenge.

9:00 – 10:30 AM

10:45 – 11:45 AM

Managing Time & Output

Derrick introduces the "fourth dimension" of every process. Learn why touch time vs. elapsed time is the diagnostic that changes everything.

10:45 – 11:45 AM

11:45 AM – 12:30 PM

Lunch

Catered at Detroit Golf Club. Connect with other leaders in the room. (Yes, this is included in your ticket.)

11:45 AM – 12:30 PM

12:30 – 2:00 PM

How to Fix What You Can't See

Derrick leads the hands-on working session: Action-Result™ Mapping, Log & Snail diagnostics, and triage tools. Bring your own business challenges.

12:30 – 2:00 PM

2:15 – 3:00 PM

Putting It All Together

Derrick closes with the A.D.T.E. loop, delegation protocol, and your 30-day action plan. Leave with a clear next step, not just inspiration.

2:15 – 3:00 PM

Derrick Mains

Creator of The System · Emmy Award–Winning Storyteller · Five-Time Author · Vistage Worldwide's 2025 Top Speaker

Derrick built The System from 35 years of field-tested methodology — originally designed for Army Ranger communications, then adapted for business at Sprint Corporation and deployed across 150+ companies, from early-stage to the Fortune 10. His first Process Triage workshop discovered a 32-day process that contained only 91 minutes of actual work.

He's a five-time author who's facilitated over 100,000 people through systems thinking transformations and trains certified facilitators worldwide. When Derrick walks into your business, he sees what you can't — the invisible system problems that your org chart was never designed to show you.

Bill Green

Vibe Optimizer · Certified Process Fixer Facilitator · Vistage Worldwide's 2024 New Speaker of the Year

Bill is a Certified Facilitator of The System and the founder of Vibe Optimizer — where he helps leadership teams build trust-fueled systems that create momentum instead of pressure. He's an award-winning Vistage speaker who's coached 700+ leaders across healthcare, construction, education, and services.

He brought Derrick to Detroit because he's seen what happens when leaders stop blaming people and start fixing systems. The results aren't incremental — they change how the whole team operates. Bill will co-facilitate the workshop and bring his deep knowledge of leadership dynamics and team optimization.

"The first Process Triage workshop discovered a 32-day process that contained only 91 minutes of actual work. The gap between elapsed time and touch time became the founding diagnostic principle."

Sprint Corporation

Where The System was first deployed in business — 1993

"34% productivity improvement within 6 months — and $700,000 in revenue increase in the same period. The team stopped firefighting and started seeing the system. Once they could see it, they could fix it."

Ray Figueroa

CEO, American Endovascular

"Achieved the fastest NetSuite deployment in the platform's history by creating process blueprints before implementation — catching issues at the design stage, not during testing."

Dan Sloan, Former CTO

Eide Bailey · Applied The System to enterprise software

Frequently Asked Questions

It's a hands-on working session where you learn to diagnose and fix the invisible system problems in your business. Derrick Mains will teach you 7+ tools from The System — a methodology developed over 35 years, from Army Rangers to Fortune 500 operations. You'll leave with a new lens on every operational challenge you face.

No. This is a working session, not a keynote. You'll be mapping processes, identifying friction points, and building action plans — not sitting passively listening to someone tell you to "dream bigger." Bring a real challenge from your business. You'll work on it.

Derrick is an Emmy Award–winning storyteller, five-time author, and creator of The System — a methodology originally designed for Army Ranger field communications, then adapted for business at Sprint Corporation in 1993 and deployed across 150+ companies. He's facilitated over 100,000 people through systems thinking transformations and trains certified facilitators worldwide. Bill Green is one of his certified facilitators.

Especially relevant. Large organizations invest heavily in business analysts, process designers, and capacity planners. Less than 1% of Vistage CEOs have a business analyst on staff. This workshop gives you the tools that big companies use — in a format built for leaders who don't have a team of analysts.

Everything. The full-day workshop (9 AM – 3 PM), all materials and tools, lunch at Detroit Golf Club, a copy of Derrick's latest book (The System), and the working session. No upsells during the event.

This is a one-time event with Derrick flying in from out of state. We don't have another date scheduled. If you're interested but can't attend, grab a ticket anyway — we'll work with you on alternatives if something comes up.

Absolutely — and you should. The best results come when the people who design the system are the same people expected to use it. Bring your COO, your ops lead, or anyone responsible for making sure work gets done. Each person needs their own ticket.

17911 Hamilton Rd, Detroit, MI 48203. Doors open at 8:30 AM. Free parking available. We'll send detailed logistics and directions after you register.

Stop Blaming Your People.
Start Fixing Your Systems.

The Date

Full Working Day

Tools You'll Learn

All-In Price

Sound Familiar?

Your business catches fire so often you should probably just move

You spend 80% of your time talking about people and events

You're the battery. Pull you out, and everything stops

You've hired great people and watched them underperform

What If the Problem Was Never Your People?

❌ THE OLD WAY

✅ THE NEW WAY

Hear It From Derrick and Bill