When a pigeon leaves droppings on your balcony, how do you respond? Do you attempt to catch the pigeon and punish it, or do you put up a net to prevent future incidents? In our lives, we often expend significant time and energy trying to catch the proverbial pigeon, seeking retribution rather than addressing the underlying issue. Eventually, one pigeon leaves, only for another to take its place. The mess continues because the core problem remains unaddressed.
As amusing as this analogy may seem, we tend to adopt the same mindset in our workplaces. When someone makes a mistake, rather than investigating the root cause and improving the process, we often resort to a blame game, punishing the individual responsible. While the person may face consequences, the process itself remains unchanged. This leads to either the same person repeating the mistake or a new individual stepping in to make the same error. This cycle persists until we decide to address the problem directly. Why not tackle the issue in the first place?
Moreover, the individual who has been punished will likely become risk-averse, seeking approval for every decision and avoiding ownership of their work. Consequently, while the process remains unresolved, employees may become overly reliant on their managers, leading to diminished accountability.
Then, when we encounter ongoing issues, we find ourselves asking, “What went wrong?” It’s crucial to recognize that focusing on “who” is less important than understanding “why.” By addressing the underlying reasons behind mistakes, we can resolve the issue at its core, allowing the rest to fall into place.
How do you think we can consciously address this issue by focusing more on process/ problems rather than people? We know what is the right thing to do but we are unable to do that. Why?
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