The Real Problem Isn’t Always the Problem

Why Businesses Waste Time Solving the Wrong Things

In business, it’s tempting to jump straight to solutions. A sales dip? Must be marketing. A delivery delay? Clearly operations. A burnt-out team? Probably a culture issue. But in reality, these surface-level symptoms often mask deeper, more complex problems — and that’s where many businesses go wrong.

We’ve seen it time and time again: companies pour time, money, and energy into solving a challenge, only to realise months later that they were addressing the wrong thing. The result? Wasted resources, frustrated teams, and a problem that still persists.

Symptoms vs Root Causes

Most business challenges aren’t what they first appear to be. A team that’s “not performing” might actually be unclear on priorities. A declining product might not need a rebrand — it may need customer revalidation. A failed software rollout could have less to do with the tech and more to do with poor change management.

Symptoms are easy to spot. Root causes, not so much.

Why This Happens

• Internal bias: Teams are often too close to the problem to see it clearly.

• Speed over reflection: In fast-moving environments, pausing to diagnose feels like a luxury.

• Too many voices: Multiple stakeholders often pull in different directions, muddying the real issue.

That’s where structured, external perspective becomes invaluable.

Start by Asking Better Questions

Before rushing to solve a problem, take a step back and ask:

• What’s actually happening here?

• Who is this really affecting, and how?

• What assumptions are we making?

• If we solved this, would the situation actually improve?

Sometimes, a one-hour conversation with someone who’s not in your ecosystem is all it takes to reframe the problem and start solving the right thing.

How We Help

At Concepts from Chaos, we specialise in helping businesses uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface. Our clarity sessions are designed to create space, challenge assumptions, and find the real friction — fast.

Because when you understand the right problem, everything moves forward.