Stop Fixing the Wrong Problem: The Real Secret to Turning Failing Teams Into Champions
By Susan Stone, IT & Leadership Transformation Specialist
“After 20+ years fixing failing SAP programs, I’ve learned one truth:
Most teams aren’t failing because of bad technology.
They’re failing because they’re fixing the wrong problem.”Written by me—a specialist with over two decades of real-world experience—this series is your essential roadmap to turning struggling teams and problematic technology upgrades, implementations, and migrations into world-class performers and best practices stories.
Across my career, I’ve transformed many underperforming departments and technology programs/projects into high-performing success stories. What I’ll share here are the real techniques—the human, actionable ones—that unlock potential, inspire sustainable growth, and turn everyday people into champions.
Because your team already has the ability and 9 times out of 10 you already own the technology.
Now it’s time to unlock it.
The Problem Everyone Sees (But No One Fixes)
So much failure, headache, heartburn, and office politics. I’ve seen it… So many people giving a half-hearted attempt to lead; or feeling they’re giving their all… but with the wrong effort in the wrong direction. The company wants transformation, but there are factions of key stakeholders who are ROTJ’d (retired on the job). How does this happen, how do we get them all to all go all in – in the right way, at the right time, in the right direction.
How do we get rid of the ego, strip away the politics, and do this? Easy, let’s fail! Yes, you’ve heard it before – fail fast, fail together, but make sure we know how to ‘fail’ and what types of failure we can absorb, tolerate, and learn from during a transformation.
There different types of failures we must be ready for at any given moment in the process of identifying the problem, but no matter how you slice them they basically boil down into one of two categories: 1) Big Failures and 2) Small Failures.
Big failures: deleting an entire company SharePoint site, almost missing payroll for 23,000 employees. Perhaps this is an RGE (resume generating event)…
Small failures: stumbling through a presentation, missing a deadline. Perhaps this is a coaching opportunity…
Failure, in all its wonderful, painful forms, is how we grow.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m not writing a blog about failure. You’ve heard all the catchy quotes: lean into failure, embrace failure, fail fast. They’re good. I use them all.
Regardless of all the flavors of big and small failures, we need to ensure we are not failing to fix the right problem…. failure to fix the right problem is the root cause of most failed / toxic teams and horror story IT implementations. So, how do we know if we are fixing the right problem?
The Hidden Predictor of Failure
Over the years—across corporate America, startups, small businesses, and those “too big to fail” giants—I’ve noticed one universal truth:
The greatest predictor of failure is right in front of everyone’s face.
And yet… no one sees it.
Organizations bring in high-priced consultants with fancy, proprietary methodologies promising to fix everything (and sometimes world hunger while they’re at it…). I say this with love—I’ve been one of those consultants. The intent is genuine. However, I’ve noticed in most cases the problem the teams try to fix isn’t the root of problem at all.
The problem, the why the failure is occurring is both bigger and smaller at the same time. The solution is opaque… yet clear as day once you finally see it.
And even then, leaders and employees don’t know what to do next.
A Real Story: Saving an SAP Implementation (and a Team)
Let me share what happened—literally—just 24 hours ago.
I was brought in by a company to help “save” their SAP implementation. They’d already gone through a few major systems integrators (SIs). By the time my team and I arrived, the company’s employees on the project were exhausted, cynical, and ready to give up —not on the project, but on themselves.
The culture was toxic. The trust was gone. They were even questioning whether implementing SAP had been the right decision in the first place. Spoiler alert: it was the right decision… the technology wasn’t the problem.
While one of my team members worked tirelessly to meet a critical deadline, he began to clash with the client. Questions were misunderstood. Tension grew.
The client accused him of “playing games.”
Sound familiar?
That’s how good people burn out, and good projects collapse.
If we had treated the symptoms—the missed deadline, the miscommunication—we would’ve fallen into the exact same trap as the last two SIs.
Instead, understood what truly had failed and we went about fixing the right problem.
Championing Is the Solution
The fix?
We championed the project team. All of them! The good, the bad, the ugly.
Instead of another round of “status meetings” or “problem reviews,” we gathered everyone and reframed the conversation. We didn’t talk about deliverables. We talked about how we work together in a methodical organized respectful manner and most importantly how we champion each other.
There may also have been some soft reminders to the group around the basics such as:
1. We win together! No one here is playing their own game.
2. Everyone wants this to succeed.
3. We’re one team—and we’re going to champion each other’s success.
That simple mindset shift changed everything. The tension melted away. Collaboration returned. And the project got back on track.
The Lesson: The Solution Is Always Right in Front of You
Here’s the truth: failure is not the enemy. Misdiagnosis is of the real problem is the enemy
Most organizations fail because they keep fixing symptoms and not the root cause.
They focus on deliverables instead of dynamics, deadlines instead of people.
When you champion your people, you change everything:
build trust instead of fear.
create clarity instead of confusion.
generate performance instead of burnout.
The secret sauce isn’t a secret new methodology, it’s in the mindset.
So, champion your team.
Champion your coworkers.
Champion your contractors.
Champion your customers.
Champion them!
Coming Next in the Series
In the next post, we’ll go deeper into the heart of this philosophy and the science in the “Champion Them” methodology and exploring how leaders can specifically embody and get results using the “Champion Them” method:
Everyone is a leader—but not everyone is a good one.
We’ll break down what real leadership looks like in the modern workplace and how you can start championing yourself before you ever lead anyone else.
Because transformation always starts within.
Want to Follow the Series?
If this resonated with you, stay tuned for:
“Stop Making Life So Damn Difficult”
“Everyone Is a Leader (But Not Everyone Is a Good One)”
“You Don’t Understand your Power… of Your Words”
“Champion Yourself—Wait for No One!”
This is more than a blog series—it’s a movement.
It’s time to stop managing and start championing.
#SAPTransformation #Leadership #ChangeManagement #DigitalTransformation #ERP #ProjectRecovery #TeamPerformance