A problem that returns for the third time can tell a leader something important. The organization may have addressed what was visible while a deeper cause continued shaping the same result.
In Is This a Problem or a Symptom?: Surface, Structural, Systemic: A Short Guide to Diagnosing What’s Really Wrong, Dr. Alma Susana Flores presents a focused approach to recognizing those deeper causes. Available in Kindle and paperback editions on Amazon, the book equips leaders with questions they can use before choosing their next response.
A New Lens for Persistent Problems
Workplaces move quickly, and leaders are often expected to deliver solutions with little delay. A complaint reaches management, a deadline slips, or team engagement falls. Training, updated procedures, and group meetings may seem like logical responses. When the concern reappears, frustration can spread across the organization.
Dr. Alma Susana Flores explains that a recurring issue may exist at one of three levels. The first is the surface level, where a specific problem has a clear and familiar solution. An employee may need information, a team may require training, or a process may need a simple correction.
The structural level relates to the agreements and systems supporting daily work. Unclear responsibilities, weak accountability, inconsistent follow-through, and unspoken expectations can allow problems to continue. Leaders working at this level need to examine how decisions are made, communicated, and carried forward.
The systemic level reaches into belief. It asks people to consider the assumptions influencing their choices, relationships, and understanding of leadership. A systemic concern may affect how an entire group interprets trust, responsibility, authority, or change.
These three levels give leaders a shared language for discussing what’s happening. Once the depth of an issue becomes visible, a more suitable course of action can begin to emerge.
Turning Diagnosis Into a Leadership Habit
The book’s primary framework is the 4-Question Depth Check. Designed for use during difficult conversations, the tool helps leaders pause, gather insight, and determine whether they’re dealing with a surface, structural, or systemic concern.
Its chapters build the process step by step. Readers first learn about the three kinds of problems and explore why certain challenges repeatedly return. The book then introduces the four diagnostic questions and examines how a leader’s own reactivity can shape a response.
Later sections address the importance of naming what’s really happening and helping others understand the value of slower, more thoughtful work. Another chapter shows how these patterns appear across industries, followed by guidance for making the Depth Check a consistent practice.
Eight case studies carry the framework into restaurants, manufacturing floors, healthcare systems, technology startups, nonprofits, insurance companies, banks, and logistics operations. The range of settings allows readers to observe how the same diagnostic principles apply under different pressures.
Dr. Alma Susana Flores also includes three verbatim coaching dialogues: “When You Already Have What You Need,” “One Layer Deeper,” and “The First Honest Step.” These conversations model language that leaders can adapt when discussing sensitive or complicated issues.
Practical resources extend the learning beyond the main guide. Readers receive a one-page Depth Check summary, a 30-day reflection journal, recommended reading, foundational sources, a team and facilitator discussion guide, and an expanded Depth Check-In section. Information about bulk orders and licensing supports organizations interested in using the material across teams or leadership programs.
A 30-day Goodreads ebook giveaway is also running from October 8 through November 6. One hundred ebook copies will be offered during the campaign, providing readers with an opportunity to discover the guide and begin applying its framework.
About the Author
Dr. Alma Susana Flores is an educational professional, organizational coach, and mentor with more than thirty years of experience within complex organizations. For over two decades, Dr. Alma Susana Flores has carried executive-level responsibility for professional development, instructional strategy, and team performance.
Currently a senior district administrator of instruction in a large urban school district, Dr. Alma Susana Flores has served as a teacher, school principal, instructional director, and executive cabinet member. Dr. Alma Susana Flores holds a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University. Her doctoral research explored mentorship, emotional intelligence, and reflective practice within leadership teams.
The Value of Asking Before Acting
Is This a Problem or a Symptom? offers leaders a disciplined way to approach challenges that resist familiar solutions. Its clear framework and practical exercises encourage careful observation, honest conversation, and purposeful action.
By learning to recognize the depth of a problem, leaders can choose responses that address what their organizations genuinely need.
