Recurring workplace challenges can drain time, weaken morale, and leave leaders questioning why their solutions fail to produce lasting results. 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 practical framework for discovering what’s actually happening beneath a visible concern.
Available in Kindle and paperback editions on Amazon, the book draws from decades of organizational leadership, coaching, and research. It gives leaders a clear lens to use before choosing their next course of action.
Looking Beneath a Recurring Workplace Problem
Many leaders recognize the frustration of addressing an issue only to see it return. A team completes additional training, yet the same complaint resurfaces. A new process is introduced, yet another deadline slips. A town hall briefly energizes employees, and disengagement gradually returns.
These patterns can suggest that the response has been directed toward the wrong layer. Dr. Alma Susana Flores encourages leaders to pause before reaching for another solution and ask a more revealing question: Is this the actual problem, or is it a symptom of something deeper?
The book organizes workplace issues into three distinct layers. Surface problems are clear concerns with known fixes. They may require updated information, a practical resource, or a specific action. Once the cause is understood, the path forward is usually visible.
Structural problems involve missing agreements or broken follow-through. These challenges may emerge when expectations remain unclear, responsibilities overlap, or accountability fades after an initial commitment. Addressing them requires closer attention to how people coordinate their work.
Systemic problems reach into beliefs. They ask individuals or groups to reconsider assumptions that shape workplace behavior. These issues require thoughtful examination because they influence how people interpret expectations, relationships, leadership, and change itself.
A Practical Depth Check for Better Decisions
At the center of the guide is the 4-Question Depth Check, a root-cause diagnostic tool created for real leadership conversations. It helps readers determine the level at which a challenge exists and consider what needs to happen next.
The accessible framework makes the book relevant to leaders across a wide range of environments. Dr. Alma Susana Flores demonstrates its application through eight cross-industry case studies covering restaurants, manufacturing floors, healthcare systems, technology startups, nonprofits, insurance, banking, and logistics operations.
Each scenario places the Depth Check within a recognizable workplace situation where the stakes are high and the appropriate response requires careful thought. Readers can observe how recurring issues develop, how questions reveal underlying conditions, and how leaders can move toward a more suitable response.
Verbatim coaching dialogues add another useful dimension. They show how a leader might apply the four questions aloud during a difficult conversation. These examples can help readers develop language that feels natural, focused, and constructive.
The guide also includes a 30-day reflection journal. Its daily prompts are designed to turn the diagnostic pause into a consistent leadership habit. Over time, this practice can help leaders become more intentional when interpreting problems and deciding how to respond.
A team and facilitator discussion guide expands the book’s use within leadership cohorts, professional development programs, corporate training sessions, and team book studies. Managers of five people and executives responsible for hundreds can adapt its central ideas to their respective settings.
Readers will also have an opportunity to receive the ebook through a 30-day Goodreads giveaway. A total of 100 ebook copies will be offered during the campaign, which runs from October 8 through November 6.
About the Author
Dr. Alma Susana Flores is an educational professional, organizational coach, and mentor with more than thirty years of service within complex organizations. For over two decades, Dr. Alma Susana Flores has held executive-level roles with direct responsibility for professional development, instructional strategy, and team performance.
Currently serving as a senior district administrator of instruction in a large urban school district, Dr. Alma Susana Flores has worked 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 examined the intersections of mentorship, emotional intelligence, and reflective practice within leadership teams.
A Stronger Starting Point for Leadership
Is This a Problem or a Symptom? gives leaders a practical reason to pause before acting. Through its focused framework, realistic examples, and guided exercises, the book helps readers identify what requires attention and approach their next challenging conversation with greater clarity.