Insights
Stop fixing people. Fix the system.
There is a reflex in organisations that looks like action but isn’t.
Someone is underperforming.
A team is in conflict.
A leader is “difficult.”
The response is immediate and familiar: coach the individual, manage the behaviour, have the conversation.
We try to fix the person.
And the problem persists.
This is not because people are incapable.
It’s because most organisational problems are structural, not personal.
When:
roles are unclear
decision rights are ambiguous
priorities compete
accountability is uneven
values are stated but not operationalised
…people compensate.
They overreach.
They withdraw.
They defend.
They fill gaps that should not exist.
What gets labelled as:
poor communication
lack of ownership
personality conflict
is often a system under strain.
Take a simple example.
Two senior colleagues are in conflict.
One is described as controlling.
The other as disengaged.
Coaching begins. Feedback is exchanged.
Nothing shifts.
Why?
Because:
both believe they are accountable for the same outcome
neither has clear decision authority
escalation pathways are undefined
So they do exactly what the system invites:
one tightens control
the other steps back
The behaviour is rational.
The system is not.
If you focus on behaviour alone, you create:
temporary compliance
recurring conflict
quiet frustration
If you address structure, you create:
clarity
alignment
sustainable performance
This is not an argument against coaching.
It is an argument for putting coaching in the right place.
My work sits at the intersection of:
Trust — what is happening between people
Integrity — alignment between values and behaviour
Structure — the systems that hold or distort both
When structure is weak, people carry the strain.
When structure is strong, people can do their work.
So before asking:
“What’s wrong with this person?”
Ask:
“What is this system producing—and why?”
Because most of the time:
People are not the problem.
They are the signal.