Coach the person, not just the problem

The most important thing a manager can work on is the person’s capacity to handle future problems, not just today’s.

Why it works

Solving the immediate problem is transactional; developing the person’s capacity to solve problems is transformational. The mechanism behind coaching the person is that you are addressing the source rather than the symptom. If someone’s problem recurs because of a pattern in how they approach decisions or relationships, solving the surface problem repeatedly produces no lasting change. Identifying the pattern and making it visible to the person turns a problem-solving session into a development session.

How to do it

1. After understanding the immediate problem, ask: "What is the real challenge here for you?" — the answer often reveals a pattern bigger than this instance.
2. Notice if the same problem keeps recurring: the recurrence is the real problem.
3. Name patterns you observe over time, not just in the current moment.
4. Make the distinction explicit: "I can help you with this specific issue, but I’m more interested in what’s making these issues keep coming up."

Evidence

Double-loop learning research (Argyris) distinguishes solving the immediate problem (single-loop) from examining the underlying assumptions and patterns (double-loop). Coaching the person targets double-loop learning, which produces more durable change. (mechanistic)

Argyris’s framework is widely cited but primarily conceptual; empirical tests of double-loop learning in management settings are limited. The distinction is useful practically even if the causal claims are not fully established.

Sources

• Argyris (1977), Double loop learning in organizations, Harvard Business Review

Common mistake

Getting absorbed in helping with the immediate problem and never surfacing the pattern — this is the single most common coaching failure mode and leaves the person no better equipped for the next occurrence.