Most Leadership Problems Aren't Leadership Problems.
They're Diagnosis Problems.
Every week, organizations spend thousands of dollars trying to solve problems they haven't actually identified.
They launch engagement surveys. Schedule another leadership training. Rewrite policies. Hire consultants. Restructure departments. Increase compensation.
Sometimes those solutions work.
But many don't.
Not because the solutions are bad. Because they were prescribed before the problem was diagnosed. That's the question I've spent much of my career asking.
Where does the problem actually live?
Over time, I noticed something that fundamentally changed the way I lead. Nearly every organizational challenge can be traced to one of three places.
The Person.
The Leader.
Or the System.
The mistake isn't choosing the wrong solution. The mistake is solving the wrong problem.
The Person
Not every challenge is a leadership issue. Sometimes the problem belongs to the individual.
A lack of skill. A lack of commitment. A mindset that hasn't matured.
No policy can fix what only personal responsibility can change.
The Leader
Sometimes the problem isn't the employee. It's the leadership they experience.
People often reflect the clarity, consistency, and accountability they're given. Leaders set priorities. Leaders shape culture.
Leaders establish expectations.
When leadership is inconsistent, even exceptional people struggle.
The System
This is where organizations miss the mark most often. We ask people to produce outcomes that the system itself makes nearly impossible.
Broken hiring processes. Conflicting priorities. Poor communication. Misaligned incentives. Unclear decision-making.
Then we blame people for the very outcomes the system was designed to produce. Systems don't care about intentions. They produce exactly what they're designed to produce.
If you want different outcomes, you must build different systems.
The Wrong Diagnosis Is Expensive
Imagine prescribing antibiotics for a broken bone.
The medicine isn't wrong. It's simply solving a different problem.
Leadership works the same way. Coaching won't fix a broken process. A new policy won't develop an ineffective leader. Leadership training won't solve an issue of personal ownership.
The solution exists at the level of the problem.
The Third Perspective™
Most people see two possibilities.
"It's the people."
"It's the leadership."
I've learned there's a third perspective.
Sometimes the system is the problem. Sometimes the leader is. Sometimes the individual (person) is.
The wisdom isn't in having the answer. The wisdom is in asking the right question first.
Where does this problem actually live?
Because every solution begins with a diagnosis.
A Question Worth Asking
Think about the biggest challenge you're facing today.
Before you ask,
"How do I fix this?"
Ask something more important.
Am I solving the right problem?
That single question has changed the way I lead organizations, coach executives, and navigate my own life.
It may change yours too.
Kimberly D. Sanders
Executive Advisor • Creator of The Third Perspective™ • Diagnosing before prescribing.
Reflect
Where does this problem live?
☐ Person
☐ Leader
☐ System
Continue the Conversation
How would you diagnose this challenge?
Share your perspective or connect with me on LinkedIn.
