A Snowstorm, A System Failure, A Leadership Lesson

When the System Fails, Blame Follows

Recently, in several European countries, government leadership was surprised by the amount of snowfall they received. Their staff was surprised as well. For years, these regions had not experienced the kind of snowstorms that were once considered normal.

Because of this surprise and the lack of preparation to handle such a large volume of snow, many cities came to a standstill. Some people could not get to work. Children missed school. Traffic accidents increased, and in some areas, fatalities reached record levels.

The system failed.

As expected, residents immediately began blaming the government for lacking the right equipment, staffing, or plans. This reaction is common. Politicians often respond by defending their decisions, explaining constraints, or blaming one another. This cycle consumes time and energy and solves nothing.

Blaming leadership does not fix the system. Defending positions does not prevent the next failure. The blame game feels productive, but it delays real problem-solving.

What should be happening instead?

From time to time, unexpected situations will arise. It is not a failure to be surprised by something that has not happened in years. What is not acceptable is failing to learn from it. When a system breaks and nothing changes, the same failure is guaranteed to return.

This is where leadership matters.

A real-world leadership example

Several years ago, the city of Flint, Michigan, experienced the consequences of poor management decisions that led to the contamination of its drinking water with lead. Residents no longer had safe water to drink, cook with, or bathe in. People became seriously ill, and some lost their lives. As with most public failures, blame quickly followed, and the story dominated national media.

While Flint became a symbol of system failure, another city in Michigan chose a different path.

The city of Grand Rapids, the state’s second-largest city, began practicing Lean methodology. The city manager assembled the senior leadership team to study the Flint crisis and ask a difficult question: Could this happen here?

At the time, there were no federal or state requirements forcing Grand Rapids to act. The city already had a system in place to provide safe drinking water, even though some homes still had lead service lines. Legally, the city could have done nothing and waited.

Instead, leadership chose to be proactive.

The team launched an A3 problem-solving process to identify potential risks, locate homes with remaining lead service lines, and develop a long-term plan to replace them, including lines that homeowners could not afford to replace on their own. Funding was identified, a clear plan was developed, and work began.

The leaders knew the solution would not be fast. Replacing all remaining lead service lines will take close to two decades. But the difference is this: there is a plan, ownership, and a clear commitment to addressing the issue before it becomes a crisis.

That is Lean leadership.

What can government leaders learn?

The snowstorm and water crisis examples share the same lesson. The problem is rarely the event itself. The problem is how leaders respond, learn, and build systems that prevent the same failure from happening again.

Here are five leadership practices that would change the outcome.

1. Clearly define the real problem
   Snow is not the problem. Lead pipes are not the problem. The problem is a system that cannot reliably protect people under stress.

2. Go and see the reality
   Leaders must see conditions firsthand, not through reports or media coverage. Understanding reality is the foundation of good decisions.

3. Involve the people who do the work
   Frontline employees understand where systems break. Sustainable solutions come from engaging them in problem-solving rather than issuing top-down directives.

4. Address root causes, not symptoms
   Quick fixes create the illusion of action. Lean focuses on understanding why failures occur and what conditions make them likely.

5. Build systems that sustain improvement
   One-time fixes are not enough. Leaders must create standard processes, develop people, and ensure learning becomes part of daily work.

The leadership lesson

Government exists to serve people reliably, especially when conditions are difficult. Lean is not about cutting costs or doing more with less. It is about building systems that work, even under pressure.

Snowstorms will return. Infrastructure will age. The real question is whether leaders will defend failures or learn from them. Leaders who invest in Lean thinking, develop their people, and practice structured problem solving can turn system failures into lasting improvements.

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