Blueprints for Thinking (9): Why Do Problems Keep Returning? A Systems Thinking Approach

Imagine a team misses a deadline.

They work late, fix the issue, and move on.

Three months later, they face the same problem.

What is happening?

Most of us see the event.

We react.

We firefight.

We feel relieved when it's over.

But the event is only the tip of the iceberg.

Beneath the event lies a pattern.

Beneath the pattern lies a structure.

Beneath the structure lies an unquestioned assumption.

That's the difference between seeing events and seeing systems.

Events demand reaction.

Systems invite understanding.

The missed deadline is a problem.

But the deeper problem is the structure that keeps producing it:

- The workload nobody renegotiated.

- The approval chain nobody redesigned.

- The assumption that "busy" means "productive."

We treat symptoms and call it problem-solving.

Meanwhile, the system quietly builds the next crisis.

The answer is not to work harder.

It is to look one level deeper.

Pause. Step back. Ask yourself:

What pattern does this event belong to?

What structure keeps producing this pattern?

Inspired by: Peter Senge

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Blueprints for Thinking (8) : The Illusion of Choice

Ever wonder why you act before you think?

Imagine this situation:

A driver cuts you off.

Your heart races, your fist clenches.

And you react without thinking.

What’s actually happening inside your head?

Two cognitive systems are at work.

One operates at lightning speed.

The other takes its own sweet time.

And most of the time, the quicker one wins.

System 1 runs on autopilot.

It spots danger and makes snap judgments.

System 2 takes effort.

It crunches numbers, weighs options, and checks the facts.

And steps in only when needed.

So we often believe we are making a conscious choice when, 

in reality, we are simply reacting.

The speed isn't a flaw. It is the obsession for efficiency.

But efficiency comes with a cost.

The fast system can be fooled.

It sees patterns where none exist, 

favours assumptions over data, 

and can feel certain when it should be doubting.

The answer isn't to “think harder.”

It is to notice when autopilot is running the show.

Pause. Take a breath. Then ask yourself:

Is this a fact, or just a feeling?

What evidence could I check to confirm it?

Inspired by: Daniel Kahneman

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Blueprints for Thinking (7): The Disruption Detective

Imagine you're a car.

Small. Slow. Cheap.

Newer, stronger ones zoom past you.

You barely get a glance.

But there's a possibility, distant yet real:

The strongest and fastest can stumble.

Not from weakness,

but from blind assumptions.

They don't see you.

They take you for granted.

That overconfidence is your opening.

A small idea, apparently insignificant,

can alter any landscape like a tumultuous wave.

Many have learned this the hard way.

They rely on perceived strengths,

while missing crucial signals of change.

Why does this happen?

Because success can stop us from asking the right questions.

We are obsessed with:

"How can I excel at what I already do?"

We hardly ever ask:

"Am I ignoring someone who matters?"

People don't buy drills.

They buy holes.

They don't simply buy a product.

They acquire it to do a job.

So how do you use this blueprint?

Become a detective of disruption.

° Investigate 

° Question

° Look where others aren't looking.

Your answer is your opening.

Your opening is your advantage.

And your advantage may shape your future.

As long as you keep asking the right questions,

you won't be blindsided by change.

Inspired by Clayton Christensen

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