09/16/2026
One of the fastest ways to solve the wrong problem is to start with the solution.
Leaders are often rewarded for action.
We see a problem. We identify a fix. We start moving.
But complex organizational problems rarely exist in isolation. They are shaped by people, processes, resources, relationships, incentives, history, and sometimes competing definitions of what the problem actually is.
That is why I have learned to spend more time understanding the environment before designing the solution.
-Who are the stakeholders?
-How does the system actually work?
-Where are the dependencies?
-What assumptions are we making?
-Where is the tension between current conditions and what we are trying to achieve?
Those questions can make it feel like we are moving more slowly.
Often, they are what allow us to move faster later.
Because strategy is not simply deciding what to do...
It is developing a shared understanding of what is really happening, determining what must change, and then creating a practical path from one to the other.
Before solving the problem, make sure you understand the system producing it.
