Leaders Are Often Looking in the Wrong Place

The issue isn’t always the person — it’s the system around them

There was a stretch when my daughters — twins, same school, same class — were late for school every day. Naturally, the blame started flying. One was “disorganized.” Not trying hard enough. The other, hyper-competitive, would rather leave her sister behind than risk being late herself. The easy conclusion? One needs to step up. The other needs to be more supportive.

But stepping back, the pattern told a different story. The routine itself wasn’t broken. Timing worked. Expectations were clear. But one of them was struggling at school — and slowing down was a way to avoid it. Meanwhile, the system was quietly encouraging individual success over shared success. 

So instead of asking “Who’s at fault?” the better question became: “What would make it easier for both of them to succeed — together?”

I see the same thing in leadership teams. When something isn’t working, the instinct is to look at the people. But strong leaders look elsewhere first.

They look at:• how decisions actually get made• what conversations are avoided• where ownership truly sits• what behaviours the system is reinforcing

Because what shows up as a people problem is often a system pattern.

Where does your team look first when something goes wrong — the individual, or the system? And are you set up to win together… or compete by default?

#LeadershipDevelopment #SystemsThinking #TeamAlignment #OperationalLeadership #NexusCoachingPros