Podcast Episode: “Fix the Root, Not the Symptom”
Opening (2 minutes)
“Welcome back to The Leadership Coach Podcast!
Today’s episode is all about something I see every day with clients, teams, and even in my own life:
We spend too much time fixing symptoms and not enough time fixing the root problem.
If you’ve ever said to yourself, ‘I feel stuck. I’ve tried everything. Why isn’t this changing?’ … this episode is for you.
I’m going to break this down into three parts:
1. How to recognize the difference between symptoms and root causes.
2. How to ask the right questions to dig deeper.
3. And how to create lasting solutions once you uncover the real issue.
So grab a notebook, because this conversation could change the way you lead, work, and even think about your own life.”
Part 1: Symptoms vs. Root Cause (6–7 minutes)
Story to hook:
“Let me start with a simple example.
Imagine you walk into your house and there’s water all over the kitchen floor.
What’s your first move?
Most of us grab a mop or a towel. We clean up the water. But if we never look for the source of the leak… guess what? Tomorrow, there’s water again.
That’s exactly how most of us treat problems in business and in life.
We clean up the mess, we react to the crisis, but we never go upstairs and patch the hole in the roof.”
Symptoms look like:
Low motivation
Procrastination
High turnover in a business
Arguments in a relationship
Low sales, bad habits, stress
“These are NOT the problem. These are the puddles on your floor.
They are indicators. Warning lights.
The root cause is deeper. It could be:
Fear
Lack of clarity or purpose
Unhealed trauma
Ineffective systems
A mindset you’ve never challenged
If you only treat the symptom, the cycle will repeat.”
Pause and speak directly to listener:
“So as you’re listening, think: What have I been mopping up instead of fixing?”
Part 2: Asking the Right Questions (7–8 minutes)
“Alright—how do we find the root? This is where most people get stuck.
You can’t discover a root cause with surface-level thinking. You have to ask deeper questions.
Here are 3 simple but powerful tools I teach my clients:”
Tool #1: The 5 Whys
“This is my favorite exercise.
Take any issue and ask ‘Why?’ five times. By the time you get to the fourth or fifth why, you’re no longer talking about the puddle—you’re looking at the pipe that burst.”
Example:
Symptom: ‘My team isn’t motivated.’
Why? ‘They don’t seem engaged.’
Why? ‘They feel like their work doesn’t matter.’
Why? ‘Because I haven’t been communicating vision.’
“The root isn’t laziness. The root is leadership clarity.”
Tool #2: What’s Really True?
“Sometimes the root hides behind a story we’ve told ourselves.
‘I’m bad with money.’ Is that really true? Or did no one ever teach you financial skills?
‘I’m just not confident.’ Is that true? Or did you stop putting yourself in situations that built your confidence?
Challenge your assumptions. Truth lives underneath the story.”
Tool #3: What Am I Avoiding?
“Most of us know the root but we avoid it.
We avoid the hard conversation. We avoid looking at the budget. We avoid admitting we need help.
The thing you avoid is often the thing you need to face.”
Mini coaching moment:
“Take one problem you’re facing right now. Pause this podcast if you need to. Ask yourself:
Why is this happening?
What’s really true?
And what am I avoiding?
The answer that makes you uncomfortable? That’s where the root usually lives.”
Part 3: Creating Lasting Solutions (6–7 minutes)
“Once you uncover the root, the game changes.
You stop putting out fires. You build systems that prevent fires.
If the root cause is a leadership gap, you fix the structure.
If the root cause is fear, you work on courage.
If the root cause is lack of clarity, you create a clear plan.”
