“Who or what profits when something repeatedly does not work out?”

Systemic leader Barbara Hoogenboom:

“When something repeatedly does not work out, whether in your personal life, a working environment or a situation where you, as a leader or manager, are responsible, the tendency is often to think: “I just have to try harder.”

Trying harder. Perhaps a good analysis on why things have not worked out and then improve the conditions of it all, so the chance of success increases. All of which has the purpose to ultimately ensure things works out.

But it does not always work out. And if something consistently does not work out, despite your very best efforts, you’ve analysed, you’ve adjusted your course, it is worthwhile to systemically ask yourself why it is not working out.

From the systemic point of view, you could say that everything always has a good reason. So, if something does not work out in a particular place, it might be maintaining something in a different place. This raises the question: if it were to work out, who would be unhappy about the change? Who would pay the price? If what you have in mind does not work out, who or what profits? What can be maintained? What does not have to change? What does not need to be lost?

Imagine that merging teams in a satisfactory way does not work out. Who or what profits? Perhaps the individual teams, they can carry on functioning for a little while longer, as if they were independent, as if they had not yet merged. But even if you try to find a new job, without success, you could ask yourself: who or what profits from me not being able to find a different job? Perhaps this is your current employer or client, or your family, or your garden or your pet, or perhaps even your own health. After all, if you were to find this new job, it might ask something completely different of you than your current job.

So, when something is not working out, you can ask yourself: do I have to just try harder and analyse more on why it is not working out? Or should I ask myself how the fact that things are not working out is helping?”

This question originates from the Systemic Leaderschip fan-deck  The fan-deck contains 224 questions regarding 45 themes. Each question has the potential to help you take the next step.