Try this next time something goes wrong...

When something fails, most people ask:

❌ “Who screwed up?”

✅ Instead, try: “What happened in the lead up to this?”

In my experience, this different perspective changes everything.

It removes blame. It creates curiosity about the system.

And it gives you a chance of finding the real root-cause of the issue.

For a similar reason, as a coach, you will rarely hear me ask the question why?

Think about when you are asked that question. What happens?

You immediately feel that you need to justify your actions. And you probably feel (rightly or wrongly) that you are being judged. Which, might, lead to trouble for you.

Nobody thinks clearly and speaks honestly under this sort of pressure. We deny, shift blame, hide or make excuses. It's a natural fight, flight or hide response to stress.

And in most cases, mistakes happen not because people are stupid, but because the conditions they are in contributed to the mistake.

If you can get those people curious about how to avoid it in the future, you've responded in the best way possible. By fixing the system.

Oh, and if it turns out the person really is stupid, it is still the system. So maybe you could ask how were they hired for a role they are not suited to? And what led to the process being created that way?

You see how this works...?

Now you're thinking in systems.

Have a brilliant day, Stephen

I'm getting really, really busy over the next couple of months, but I do have a little capacity for team coaching workshops if you move fast.

Everything you have read this week relates to my Leading In Complexity workshop. But I also have popular ones called Leader as Coach, Team Building (or Fixing), Developing Emotional Intelligence and How to Create Great Habits.

If you want to know about how any of these, or something more bespoke, could help your team, hit reply.