The Key

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You know that thing where you lose your keys and tear the whole house apart looking for them? You check your purse three times. The kitchen counter. Yesterday’s coat. The car. You start accusing other people of moving them. And then there they are—in the same place they always are. There’s a key lesson in that: sometimes we search everywhere except the most obvious place.

Recently, we consulted with an organization after an incident in which a patient was potentially harmed.

My instinct was to ask about the system.

What was the process? What policies were in place? Were they clear? Did the workflow make sense? Where were the gaps? And most importantly: How might the organization itself have contributed to this outcome?

Another leader quickly shifted the conversation.

The staff member involved, he pointed out, had been “disrespectful and nonchalant.”

Maybe she was.

But that wasn't the question.

It struck me because healthcare providers are inherently leaders—even when leader isn't anywhere in our title.

Every day, human service professionals, physicians, NPs, PAs, nurses and other clinicians make decisions that can alter the trajectory of another human being's life. We decide what deserves attention. What can wait. What gets investigated. What gets dismissed. Who needs escalation. Our authority isn't simply granted by an organizational chart. It is embedded in the responsibility people entrust to us.

And with that authority comes an obligation to look inward.

One of the hardest lessons of leadership is resisting the delicious convenience of finding the person who did something wrong.

Because once we've identified her attitude, his mistake or their poor judgment, we get to stop examining ourselves.

Accountability matters. Professionalism matters. Competence matters.

But accountability without self-examination can quickly become blame wearing a leadership badge.

At collabo™, we talk about developing inner authority—the ability to stay curious and grounded when it would be easier to defend, deflect or condemn.

When something goes wrong, leadership asks us to consider:

What did I miss?
What did we normalize?
What did our system make easier—or harder?
**What did I contribute? **

and perhaps most importantly...

How can this help shift our understanding?

Leadership isn't standing above the problem and pointing down.

It is understanding that if you lead the system, you are part of the system.

Funny enough, the lesson is a lot like those missing keys.

Before searching everywhere else, check the place they're most likely to be.

Sometimes, that's the mirror.