Stop Solving the Same Problem
Here's a question I ask leaders all the time:
What problem have you solved more than three times this year?
Maybe it's late lesson plans.
Poor meetings.
Parent communication.
Employee accountability.
Student discipline.
Board confusion.
Enrollment.
If the same issue keeps returning, I'd challenge you to stop looking only at the person involved.
There may be a system underneath the problem that is either weak, unclear, inconsistently implemented—or completely missing.
Pick one recurring frustration today.
Then ask:
What would we need to build so this problem doesn't require me to solve it again?
That's systems thinking.
What problem are you tired of solving?
Not the biggest problem.
The one that keeps coming back.
What system could you build, clarify, or improve so this problem stops coming back?
Solving the problem once is progress; building a system that prevents it from returning is leadership.
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