The “Symptom Trap”: it's why you can't solve your business challenges

The "symptom trap"...you usually don't see it. Even when you can't solve your business challenges

Not so long ago, we had a conversation with a business owner that perfectly illustrates what we call the "symptom trap." Let's call him Mark.

It was clear very early in that conversation that Mark was frustrated…very frustrated.

Because during the past 18 months, he’d invested heavily in new marketing campaigns, sales training for client-facing employees, and hired a business development manager. And despite all this, revenue in the business had remained flat during that entire 18 months. Hence the frustration.

So during the conversation, he floated his latest idea aimed at solving “the problem”.

"We need a better CRM system”, he said. “That'll fix our conversion problems."

Naturally, out came our favourite question: "Why? Why do you think a new CRM will solve your revenue challenges?"

Mark looked like he’d just been asked if water is wet.

"Because our follow-up isn’t great. In fact, it’s terrible. Leads keep falling through the cracks. So obviously if we track them better, we'll convert more. So we need a newer, better CRM system."

Fair enough. Logical reasoning. Except for one small thing: Mark's real issue wasn't lead tracking. It was that his team had, quite some time ago, stopped believing in what they were selling.

Six months of low morale, unclear direction, and watching good colleagues leave had created a culture where employees were going through the motions. No CRM system on the planet was going to fix that.

Mark couldn't see it.

He was trapped—caught in the endless cycle of treating a bunch of symptoms while the real disease spread through his business, infecting virtually everyone in it.

This all might sound familiar. If you've ever found yourself saying, "We tried that fix, but the problem came back," you've been held hostage by the symptom trap too.

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Key takeaways

• All too often, when a "problem" presents itself in your business, the obvious fix probably won't be the right one

• The symptom trap occurs when you act before getting to the root cause of your business challenges and results in problems recurring

• There are real costs in focusing on symptoms rather than root causes, and they're not all financial

• If you find yourself in the symptom trap, don't despair...you can definitely break the cycle

  
  

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The symptom trap explained

Here's how it works.

Something goes wrong in your business. So, being a good leader, you identify the most obvious cause and implement the equally most obvious solution. The problem goes away.

Or does it?

To your surprise, six months later, the same problem’s back. Maybe in a slightly different form, but you can’t deny it…it’s unmistakably the same issue. You haven't solved your business challenge.

So you implement another fix. As they say…”same, same but different.”

At this point, we need to emphasise that the symptom trap isn't even remotely about being a bad leader—it's about being a normal, properly functioning, human being. 

We're wired to solve the problems we can see and understand. Unfortunately, the problems we can easily see are rarely the ones that are actually putting a lid on growth in our business.

This is when you learn what the real problem is...

Here’s an analogy: if your car keeps overheating, the obvious thing to do to solve the problem is to top up the coolant. That'll work for a while. But if there's a leak in the system, you're not really solving anything—you're just buying time until the next breakdown.

The difference is that the real problem in your car will eventually become obvious – you’ll end up stuck on the side of the road in a car that won’t go. With your business, symptoms can masquerade as root causes for years.

Some classic SME symptom trap scenarios

Here are three common situations. As you read on, keep an open mind and be honest about whether any of them hit home:

Scenario 1: The Revolving Door 

Symptom: "We can't keep good people. Must be a recruitment problem." 

Typical fixes: Rewritten, more compelling job ads, higher salaries, switching recruitment agencies, more thorough interviews, maybe even an improved onboarding process. 

The revolving door that sees people coming and going is just one example of the symptom trap

Result: People keep leaving in droves…faster than you can replace them. So now you have productivity gaps and client service slips, on top of which you’re facing soaring recruitment costs.

Possible real problem: Leadership gives mixed messages about direction and priorities due to a lack of clarity of purpose, values given only lip service or ignored altogether, collaboration has gone missing, or career development is non-existent. 

Scenario 2: The Sales Plateau 

Symptom: "Revenue has flatlined. We need better marketing." 

Typical fixes: Revamped website with new messaging, increased frequency of marketing campaigns, lead generation tools, or – worst of all – heavy discounting of products and services. 

Result: A vicious circle of business lost, because the fundamental issues aren’t being addressed.

Possible real problem: Your competitors are preferred in the market, there’s little or no innovation going on, or your team has lost confidence in what you offer to clients. 

Scenario 3: The Quality Spiral 

Symptom: "We're getting more client complaints. Must be a training issue." 

Typical fixes: More training focused on quality control checklists, backed up with tighter performance management. 

Result: Service quality improves temporarily, but the underlying attention to service delivery excellence continues to deteriorate.

Possible real problem: Existing systems aren’t coping with growth pressures, or people are demoralised and have stopped caring. 

Recognising any of these?

It happens a lot—it’s rare that a successful business owner hasn’t fallen into at least one of these traps. The smart ones eventually realise they're treating symptoms, not causes.

Why smart leaders get trapped and can't solve their business challenges

At this point, you might be wondering (quite reasonably) why, if these traps are so obvious, do intelligent, experienced business leaders keep falling into them?

Here’s a few reasons:

Pressure to act fast 

When there’s something wrong, there's usually enormous pressure to act. Your team, your customers, your bank manager—everyone wants to see the “something” fixed. Taking time to properly diagnose the real problem feels like a delay, not diligence.

Surface-level visibility 

Symptoms are generally really obvious and measurable. Low sales, high staff turnover, customer complaints—these things jump out at you. Underlying causes tend to be harder to spot and could be cultural, systemic, or strategic issues that don't show up so readily.

Every smart leader has been confused by the symptom trap at least once in their life. And it's frustrating when you can solve your business challenges

Previous success creates blind spots 

The things that got you to where you are today probably included quick decision-making and decisive action. And quite naturally, you see no reason to change that approach now. Except that as your business grows, problems become more complex and interconnected. Simple fixes stop working.

Fear of what you might find

Have you ever had that nagging suspicion that a challenge you’re facing might be bigger, more expensive, or more disruptive to fix than you want to contemplate? Even with that nagging feeling, you decide it’s easier to implement a quick fix than face the possibility that you need fundamental changes.

The real cost of focusing on symptoms

Here's what we've learned from working with SMEs: the cost of solving symptoms rather than coming to terms with the root cause isn't just the money wasted on ineffective solutions—it's the opportunity cost of never addressing what's really holding you back.

The hidden costs of symptom-solving include:

• Wasted money spent on solutions that don't work

• Frustration and disengagement in your team because of the time and effort wasted implementing changes that don't make sense

• Missed opportunities while you're distracted by the wrong problems

• The vicious circle you’ll find yourself in as real issues remain alive and well, with effects that compound over time

• Leadership credibility erosion when your solutions keep failing – a place you definitely don’t want to find yourself in

Most importantly, every day you spend solving symptoms is a day you're not building the business you actually want.

Breaking out of the trap

So…how do you escape the symptom trap? The answer isn't complicated, but it does require something many business leaders sometimes struggle with (again, totally understandably): the discipline to slow down and properly diagnose before you prescribe.

If you think you can feel a medical analogy coming, you’d be right…

When you go to the doctor, you usually go with a symptom of some sort. Maybe a headache that’s persisted for a while. Your doctor probably won’t simply tell you to take a couple of Panadol and send you on your way. They’ll go through a process to make sure they’re not missing something rather more sinister. And, that process could involve a number of steps and take quite a bit of time in order to land on the right root cause of the headache.

Doctors (the good ones) accept nothing at face value. Neither should you when it comes to solving business challenges

Here's how that might translate into the world of business:

Start with the right questions 

Instead of asking "How do we fix this?" start with "Why is this happening?" Then ask "Why?" again. And again. You'd be amazed how often the fifth "why" reveals something completely different from the first. It’s a time-tested first step and works incredibly well.

Look for patterns, not incidents 

One client complaint is an incident. A pattern of complaints is a symptom. But what's causing the pattern? Why are the complaints happening? That's where you'll find your root cause.

Follow the money, but not JUST the money  

Financial metrics tell you what's happening. But things like employee engagement, customer satisfaction, process effectiveness and culture tell you why it's happening.

Get other points of view

Remember our three different business realities from our previous post? Your view of the problem is just one perspective and, as much as you might not like to hear it, there may be others. Before you act, find out what your managers think is causing it. What about your frontline employees? Your customers (if it’s appropriate to ask)?

Test your assumptions

Before implementing any solution, ask yourself: "What would we expect to see if this fix actually addresses the root cause? What factors will define a successful outcome?" Then measure those things, not just the original symptom.

The power of proper diagnosis

You won’t be surprised when we say that this is where a comprehensive business diagnostic becomes invaluable. Not a quick survey or a financial health check, but a proper examination of how your business actually operates across all dimensions.

It’s the difference between taking Panadol for headaches and getting an MRI to understand what's causing them.

One provides temporary relief; the other identifies what needs to be properly fixed.

A proper diagnostic examines:

• Strategic alignment: does everyone understand where the business is heading? Are they working toward the same goals?

• Operational effectiveness: are your systems and processes doing what they say on the box?

• Cultural health: do your values drive behaviour, or just decorate your walls?

• Client alignment: are you attracting and retaining the “right” clients?

• Market positioning: are you solving problems people actually want solved?

  
  

A good diagnostic puts your business under the microscope and looks at a range of drivers

The GrowthCatalyst diagnostic looks into these areas from multiple perspectives—owners, managers, and employees—specifically to identify where symptoms are masking deeper issues.

The results are usually eye-opening.

The bottom line

The symptom trap is a thing basically because it makes you feel productive. You're always busy solving problems, implementing solutions, making improvements. But if you're constantly firefighting the same types of issues, you're not actually making progress—you're just maintaining an illusion of control and activity.

And the uncomfortable truth is that the real problems are usually harder to fix than the symptoms. That’s exactly why they’re usually ignored.

Breaking out requires admitting that some of your previous "solutions" weren't really solutions at all. 

That takes courage and discipline. But it also opens up the possibility of actually fixing what's broken instead of just managing the symptoms.

Here’s the key question: Are you ready to stop treating symptoms and start solving real problems?

Because once you do, you'll discover that sustainable growth isn't about solving more problems faster—it's about solving the right problems once.

Does this Insight hit home?

Want to change things up for better results? 

A conversation with a GrowthCatalyst adviser could be just what you need. We'll walk you through our Business Profiler and discuss the benefits you can expect it to deliver in helping you achieve your long-term aspirations. 

Contact us to arrange a face-to-face or virtual conversation.

Alternatively, you can book a time for an initial discussion here.

In other news...

GrowthCatalyst has joined forces with several like-minded professionals to form the advisory group Konektis (check us out here). Collectively, the Konektis team provides integrated, multi-disciplinary advice to SMEs to deliver a "one strategy" outcome.