Stop treating symptoms. The habit of "surface-fixing" is a fatal flaw in leadership, allowing the real problems in your business to fester and grow. This video is a deep dive into Root Cause Analysis (RCA), the essential framework for leaders who are tired of playing whack-a-mole with issues that refuse to die.

Discover the two critical systems for digging deeper. First, we unpack the legendary "Five Whys" method, the tool Toyota and SpaceX use to move beyond superficial answers and find the true source of a problem. Second, we explore the psychology behind our flawed reactions through Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), revealing how our core beliefs are often the real root cause of our struggles.

This is your guide to stop duct-taping radiators and start building a resilient, intelligent business from the ground up.

UNLOCK THE STRATEGIST'S EDGE

Your inbox deserves substance, not filler. Download the 100+ page Business Strategy Toolkit - “From Purpose To Profit.” Includes strategy templates, decision filters, and customer understanding frameworks to dissect, diagnose & dominate your strategy. No spam. Just clarity & rule-breaking insight.

Download here: https://www.erinandreacraske.com/strategy-toolkit

IN THIS EPISODE

00:00The Overheating Car: Why Symptom Fixing Fails

00:59 Ignoring Warning Signs

01:36 The Superficial Fix 'Game': Recognising Superficial Solutions

05:43 A Problem-Definition Test: If It's Obvious, It's a Symptom

06:59 The Wise Farmer: Nurturing the Roots

08:05 Introducing Solutions to Mental Traps

08:47 Intro to REBT: Albert Ellis & Challenging Irrational Beliefs

10:19 How Our Thinking Works

12:38 REBT Is Backed by Science with Data

13:35 Intro to RCA: Asking "Why?" Like a Toddler (and SpaceX)

15:55 The Power of 5 Whys (Toyota Example)

17:19 The Cost of Delay: 1-10-100 Rule in Action

18:12 RCA Toolkit Overview: 5 Whys, Ishikawa, FTA, FMEA etc.

18:49 Conclusion: Relentless Whys & Minimal 'Musturbation'

19:18 The Antikythera Mechanism - the Power of Digging Deeper

RCA QUICK TOUR

• Five Whys → Best for SPEED. Simple, quick fixes, linear problems.
• Ishikawa Diagram → Best for COMPLEXITY. Lots of suspects, one dead body.
• Fault Tree Analysis → Best for ENGINEERING. System failures, disaster prevention.
• Barrier Analysis → Best for SAFETY. Multiple safeguards breaking down.
• Apollo RCA → Best for BLAME-FREE cultures. Get into action.
• FMEA (Failure Mode Effects Analysis) → Best for FUTURE-PROOFING. A pre-mortem screw-ups prediction and prevention.

KEEP IN TOUCH

1. Fancy weekly quick-read summaries? Subscribe here: https://erinandreacraske.substack.com/
2. Enjoy video content? I’ve got you covered. The UNBOUND MIND. UNBOUND SELF YouTube channel awaits.
3. Ready to ditch the 4S of Stress, Struggle, Suffering, and Stuckness in one go and for all? Drop me a line on www.erinandreacraske.com or find me on LinkedIn.

Time to set yourself free!

ABOUT UNBOUND MIND

UNBOUND MIND confronts the prisons of our own making: Stress, Struggle, Suffering, and Stuckness.

We operate on one radical truth: the psychological traps that sink businesses are the exact same traps that screw your life and your mental health.

Here, we dissect the cognitive biases, flawed cultural narratives, and comfortable lies that keep you trapped. This isn't about easy, ego-soothing answers. It's about giving you the tools of provocative thinking to reclaim your power, forge resilience, and achieve true cognitive freedom.

This channel is a toolkit for leaders, thinkers, and anyone ready to take responsibility for their own mind.

Subscribe to get unbound.

Every unexamined assumption is a potential blind spot leading to a strategic dead end. This video is a practical guide for leaders on how to challenge assumptions and uncover these blind spots *without* creating analysis paralysis or slowing your business down.

Discover a pragmatic framework for making critical thinking a habit, not a roadblock. We break down how to create psychological safety, use the 80/20 rule to focus only on high-stakes assumptions, and integrate powerful questioning into your existing workflows (strategy reviews, project kick-offs, and post-mortems). Learn how to normalise dissent by institutionalising roles like the 'Devil's Advocate' and the 'Toddler' to cut through corporate BS and get to the root of an issue.

This isn't about endless debate; it's about building a smarter, faster, and more resilient business.

UNLOCK THE STRATEGIST'S EDGE

Your inbox deserves substance, not filler. Download the 100+ page Business Strategy Toolkit - “From Purpose To Profit.” Includes strategy templates, decision filters, and customer understanding frameworks to dissect, diagnose & dominate your strategy. No spam. Just clarity & rule-breaking insight.

Download here: https://www.erinandreacraske.com/strategy-toolkit

IN THIS EPISODE

00:00 Intro

00:08 Safety First, Creativity Second

00:38 Prioritising Problems to Question

01:26 Integrating Questioning into Daily Workflows

02:15 Welcoming Different Perspectives

02:50 Normalising Dissent & Curiosity

03:00 Hiring a Strategist

HOW TO QUESTION ASSUMPTIONS WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN

1. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY

2. 80/20 PARETO PRINCIPLE

Not all assumptions carry equal weight. Some are foundational to your strategy, while others are minor operational details. The Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) often applies: roughly 80% of the potential negative impact comes from 20% of your unexamined assumptions.

3. IMPACT / UNCERTAINTY MATRIX

Mentally (or literally) plot assumptions on a 2x2 matrix:

• High Impact / High Uncertainty: These are your top priority for questioning. The potential fallout of being wrong is huge.
• High Impact / Low Uncertainty: Validate these periodically, but they are likely more stable.
• Low Impact / High Uncertainty: Worth a quick check, but don't over-invest time.
• Low Impact / Low Uncertainty: Generally safe to leave unexamined unless circumstances change drastically.

4. INTEGRATIVE QUESTIONS

• Strategy reviews question: What would have to be true for this to fail?
• Project kick-offs question: What assumptions are we making about resources, customers, market response?
• Post-mortems questions: What did we assume that turned out to be dead wrong? What can we learn?
• Decisions questions: What are we assuming here, and what if the opposite were true? What are the top 3 assumptions we’re resting this on? What if they’re wrong?

5. MEETING ROLES TO ASSIGN

• The Devil’s Advocate: “That might not be true.”
• The Toddler: “But why is that true?”
• Normalise dissent. Make curiosity part of your culture. That’s real strategy hygiene.

6. STRATEGIC HIRE

KEEP IN TOUCH

1. Fancy weekly quick-read summaries? Subscribe here: https://erinandreacraske.substack.com/
2. Enjoy video content? I’ve got you covered. The UNBOUND MIND. UNBOUND SELF YouTube channel awaits.
3. Ready to ditch the 4S of Stress, Struggle, Suffering, and Stuckness in one go and for all? Drop me a line on www.erinandreacraske.com or find me on LinkedIn.

Time to set yourself free!

ABOUT UNBOUND MIND

UNBOUND MIND confronts the prisons of our own making: Stress, Struggle, Suffering, and Stuckness.

We operate on one radical truth: the psychological traps that sink businesses are the exact same traps that screw your life and your mental health.

Here, we dissect the cognitive biases, flawed cultural narratives, and comfortable lies that keep you trapped. This isn't about easy, ego-soothing answers. It's about giving you the tools of provocative thinking to reclaim your power, forge resilience, and achieve true cognitive freedom.

What looks like leadership decisiveness is often a cognitive trap that costs businesses billions. This video dissects "The Decisiveness Trap"—the psychological bias that causes leaders to solve the wrong problem with disastrous consequences, as seen with Boeing and the 'New Coke' fiasco.

We explore the psychology of the 'rush to solutions,' also known as premature closure bias. Learn why the pressure to act quickly often leads to poor problem framing, causing leaders to skip critical thinking in favor of action. Drawing on shocking data from medical misdiagnoses and legal 'tunnel vision,' we reveal how this bias is a systemic flaw in how we approach problem-solving.

Stop celebrating fast answers and start asking the right questions. This is your guide to developing the discipline of deep analysis and ensuring you never again perfectly solve the wrong problem.

UNLOCK THE STRATEGIST'S EDGE

Your inbox deserves substance, not filler. Download the 100+ page Business Strategy Toolkit - “From Purpose To Profit.” Includes strategy templates, decision filters, and customer understanding frameworks to dissect, diagnose & dominate your strategy. No spam. Just clarity & rule-breaking insight.

Download here: https://www.erinandreacraske.com/strategy-toolkit

IN THIS EPISODE

00:00 The Billion-Pound Problem You're Solving Wrong

00:31 The Premature Closure Bias in Medicine (Shocking Stats)

01:16 The Trap of Plunging In and Premature Closure in Business with Data

03:30 Business by Strategy vs Business by Assumption

04:01 Thinking Deep vs. Moving Fast: Finding the Balance

KEEP IN TOUCH

1. Fancy weekly quick-read summaries? Subscribe here: https://erinandreacraske.substack.com/
2. Enjoy video content? I’ve got you covered. The UNBOUND MIND. UNBOUND SELF YouTube channel awaits.
3. Ready to ditch the 4S of Stress, Struggle, Suffering, and Stuckness in one go and for all? Drop me a line on www.erinandreacraske.com or find me on LinkedIn.

Time to set yourself free!

ABOUT UNBOUND MIND

UNBOUND MIND confronts the prisons of our own making: Stress, Struggle, Suffering, and Stuckness.

We operate on one radical truth: the psychological traps that sink businesses are the exact same traps that screw your life and your mental health.

Here, we dissect the cognitive biases, flawed cultural narratives, and comfortable lies that keep you trapped. This isn't about easy, ego-soothing answers. It's about giving you the tools of provocative thinking to reclaim your power, forge resilience, and achieve true cognitive freedom.

This channel is a toolkit for leaders, thinkers, and anyone ready to take responsibility for their own mind.

Subscribe to get unbound.