Black Box Thinking

Failures, mistakes and problems are part of every contractor’s business.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

They are part of everyone’s day.  What separates out high-performing teams is a relentless focus on learning from these problems then creating systems and training to mitigate them in the future.  

Talent Development Tools: Root Cause Analysis and Improvements. Quote: Ego is about who's right. Truth is about what's right. Mike Maples Jr. Book: Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed.

Low-performers look for “Who” did something wrong.

Low-performers put quick fixes in place and move on.

Low-performers avoid talking about failures, problems and mistakes openly.  


High-performers view every failure, problem or mistake as an opportunity to learn. 

High-performers ask lots of questions to identify the root cause of what happened.

High-performers then make plans to adjust for the next cycle.  

High-performers raise up the whole team by creating new standards, processes and training when they find a better way.  


Black Box Thinking was recommended to me by Sujata Bhide and dives much deeper into this topic.  

We spend a lot of time with our clients helping their teams develop great skills at Root Cause Analysis + Improvements.  Never easy; always worth it.  

Learn more




Helen Keller - Blind vs Vision
As a contracting business grows it becomes more important the team is aligned around a common vision and culture. It becomes even more critical if the company has more than one geographic location.
Inspiring Communication as a Leader
JFK used words effectively to reframe mindsets to great effect with lessons all leaders can use. What can you take away from this for your next communication with your team?
Missing Person Protocol
One of the biggest challenges of growth is keeping an ever-increasing number of people aligned. With nearly everyone being over-scheduled and focusing on competing priorities, a missing person protocol is critical for successful meetings and decisions.