When team dysfunction stems from organizational problems like unstable team composition, applying coaching is a form of meddling. It pathologizes the team and absolves leadership of their responsibility to fix the underlying systemic issues they created.

When diagnosing a failing department, stop looking for tactical issues. The problem is always the leader, full stop. A great leader can turn a mediocre team into a great one, but a mediocre leader will inevitably turn a great team mediocre. Don't waste time; solve the leadership problem first.

Mandating new processes, like reducing meetings, is ineffective if the collective beliefs driving old behaviors (e.g., lack of trust) are not addressed. To make change stick, leaders must first surface, discuss, and realign the team's shared assumptions to support the new structure.

Highly skilled teams will repeatedly fail if the surrounding organizational structure—decision-making, governance, silos—is dysfunctional. The root cause of failure is often not the team's ability but systemic issues that must be addressed at a leadership level for anyone to succeed.

Product leaders are often consumed by low-value work like internal politics, firefighting, and escalations, leaving no time for strategy. They must first fix their own system of work to free up time for high-value leadership. Like the airplane oxygen mask rule, they cannot help their team become effective until they fix their own role first.

Instead of telling a leader what they're doing wrong, ask what impact they want to have. By comparing their desired outcome (e.g., 'I want my team to bring me new ideas') with the actual result (e.g., 'no one speaks up'), the leader is intrinsically motivated to identify and correct the behaviors causing the gap.

Dysfunctional team dynamics, such as slowness or risk aversion, are rational responses to the environment leaders create. Instead of adding new processes, leaders should examine their own behavior. The team's actions mirror what is truly incentivized, regardless of what leaders claim to want.

Molly Graham's 'snorkel before you scuba' rule urges leaders to diagnose systemic issues (structure, dynamics) before blaming individuals. It's often cheaper and more effective to fix the system than to cycle through personnel, a modern take on W. Edwards Deming’s philosophy.

The Waterline Model suggests 80% of team dysfunctions are rooted in structural problems (unclear goals, roles), not interpersonal issues. Before you 'scuba dive' into individual conflicts, 'snorkel' at the surface by clarifying roles and expectations. This simple act solves the majority of problems.