The leak occurs in the layer that is not visible. These are deeper operating conditions: decision rights, trust, information flow, alignment, friction, and accountability. When leaders do not understand the system conditions underneath they may end up solving the visible symptom while the underlying operating condition stays intact.
The result: Opportunities are sighted, strategy executed, effort and investment expended. Visible issues addressed. But Results fall short. Problems keep resurfacing in different forms. The pressure to stay productive creates short-term fixes. This erodes the very capability they need for long-term performance.