Why your change programme feels like a game of Whack-a-Mole

You fix one issue – another pops up.

You smooth over resistance in one team – it flares up in another.

You solve a process problem – and create a culture one.

Classic whack-a-mole.

It’s a great arcade game. It’s a terrible change strategy.

The problem isn’t the moles. It’s the floor they keep popping up from.

And yet, many leaders stay stuck at the surface – reacting to symptoms, chasing compliance, treating each flare-up as isolated.

Why?

Because it feels faster. Simpler. More decisive. There’s often a belief that we don’t have time to take a longer view.

No time for context.

No time for reflection.

No time to ask:

What’s really going on here?

But as Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

A systemic problem can’t be solved with tactical fixes. You can’t patch your way to transformation.

Real change requires space.

It requires asking better questions.

It requires leaders who are willing to stop hitting things and start listening.

The mallet might feel powerful.

But transformation happens when you put it down.