Stop Workarounds at Work: Leading for the Long Game (Without Becoming the Hero)
You stop workarounds from becoming “how we do things” by treating every workaround as a signal that the process is not stable, then making that signal visible and acted on. A workaround is a side route people take when the normal path fails. It feels helpful because the work gets done, but that is also why it is dangerous. As the provided reference document puts it, “They remain hidden because the work got done,” and over time, leaders can stop seeing them because the workaround becomes normal. “We accept it, but we shouldn’t!”
Why workarounds feel helpful, and why they quietly damage trust and quality
When the parts are missing, the info is late, or no one knows who can approve a decision, people usually do one of two things: “You wait! Or you do a workaround and try to get the job done using some alternative way to complete the task.”
Here’s the hard truth from the provided reference document:
“Every time people on your team do a workaround, you lose credibility as an effective leader.”
Even worse, the leader may be sending a message without meaning to: “I know we have these problems, and I am powerless to do anything about them.”
Workarounds also inject variation into the way work gets done. The reference document explains that “every time a workaround gets done, it introduces variation to the process,” and high variation makes processes unstable. Unstable processes raise the odds of quality problems, whether you are making parts, coding software, or caring for patients.
If you want to lead for the long game, the goal is not to shame people for finding a way through. The goal is to stop letting the side route replace the road.
Ask yourself: What “extra steps” are your best people doing so often that nobody even calls them extra anymore?
The first move is not “fix it fast”, it’s “pause and reflect”
Most leaders are action-oriented. Under stress, we rush to solve the problem so work can keep moving. The provided reference document points out a common pattern: when things do not work as expected, “sometimes there is a tendency to blame others or do a workaround.”
The shift starts with slowing down, just enough to see what is really happening.
“It takes effort to learn to see the invisible. Rather than going faster, we typically need to slow down and reflect.”
If you want one simple habit that changes your leadership, the reference document puts it plainly:
“Pause and Reflect.”
Here’s how you do it in real life, in the moment, without making it awkward:
- When a workaround pops up, take a breath.
- Ask: “What is making the normal process hard to follow right now?”
- Listen for the process breakdown, not the person to blame.
This is not about being softer. It is about being accurate.
Go to the work, then ask questions that make the real problem show up
Workarounds multiply when leaders are far from the work, or when problems get “filtered” on the way up. The provided reference document warns that leaders can do damage when they try to fix problems several levels below them, because they do not see the real situation.
A better pattern is simple: go where the work happens, and ask questions that help people think.
The reference document describes the “Do the Walk” idea as: “Go See, Ask What, then Why, and Show Respect.” (In plain language, it means: go look, ask what is happening, ask why it is happening, and treat people with dignity.)
A story that shows what is at stake (and why “close enough” is not enough)
The provided reference document shares a painful hospital story: a patient went in for a routine procedure and died because of a medical error. A nurse meant to flush a central line with one drug, but accidentally gave insulin instead, which “cratered her blood sugar.”
The point is not “bad nurse.” The point is system conditions. The document describes unreliable standards, unclear labeling, bottles close together, small print, low lighting, and a “laundry list of minor problems” that added up to a tragedy. It also asks the question leaders must ask:
“Was there ever a conversation about why did the wrong vial get picked up?”
That is the leadership move. Not punishment, not a speech, but a real look at the work and a real talk about the process.
Use questions that build trust, not fear
The reference document notes that the way questions are asked changes what people will share. People are silently asking themselves, “If I share something that’s wrong, what will happen?”
So keep it simple:
- “What makes this step hard today?”
- “How do you know you did it right?”
- “What do you do when the right input is missing?”
- “Where do you get stuck, again and again?”
Your job is to make it safe to point out the broken step.
Make workarounds visible with a simple visual board (so they stop hiding)
If workarounds stay private, they stay permanent.
The provided reference document says most places “do not have a standard work protocol to focus a spotlight on workarounds,” because people are busy and “no one has time to fix them.”
One practical answer it offers is “Visual Leadership to make problems more visible.” It also explains that publicly posting key metrics and visuals can promote honest discussion across teams, and makes it easier for people to point out problems (it even calls them “ugly babies”) when leaders make it safe.
Here’s how you do it with your team, over coffee-level simple steps:
Build a “workarounds and fixes” visual (one page, public, updated fast)
Keep it easy to read. A whiteboard works. A shared page works. What matters is that people can see it.
Include:
- Workaround: What we had to do to get the work done
- Where the process broke: Missing info, unclear standard, messy handoff, unclear approval
- Impact: Delay, rework, quality risk, stress spike
- Next action: What we will change or test
- Owner: One name
- Follow-up date: When we will check it
Do not make it fancy. The reference document warns that early visuals often get too complex and take too long to update. It gives a clear rule of thumb: can you update it in under 10 minutes daily, and can you spot the key issues in under 10 seconds?
If you want a related way to tie visibility to purpose and measurement, this post pairs well with Purpose You Can See: 60-Min Workshop With Metrics That Matter.
Use short huddles to name exceptions, then follow up like it matters
A visible board helps, but only if it leads to decisions and follow-through.
The provided reference document describes effective team huddles (10–15 minutes). The key move is this: “Focus on the exceptions, do not do a report out on things that are working effectively.”
In other words, talk about the workarounds, the misses, the risks, and what needs help today.
A few rules from the reference document make this work:
- Keep the huddle short.
- Validate decisions and “note who is taking responsibility for any action commitments.”
- Do NOT solve problems during the huddle (other than someone owning an action).
Then, add one leadership habit that prevents “we talked about it” from becoming the end of the story. The reference document suggests three debrief questions after a walk (and says you can use them after any meeting):
- Did we make any decisions?
- If yes, how are we going to communicate that decision?
- How are we going to follow up on progress?
That is how you turn visibility into stability.
Leading for the long game means you do not build a culture where people win by saving the day. You build a culture where people win by making the day easier to run. So pick one workaround your team keeps using, make it visible, ask what is really happening, and follow up until the process is steady.
Reflective question: What would change in your team’s mood and output if your top three workarounds disappeared for good?