Under pressure, leaders often default to one move: they look for intent.

Why did they block this? Why are they slow? Why are they being difficult?

In large, complex organisations, that is usually the wrong place to look.

Outcomes are more often shaped by structure than by malice. Unclear ownership. Conflicting incentives. Decisions never fully closed. Teams operating at the edge of capacity.

When these signals are misread as bad intent, two things happen. A system problem becomes personal. And the system stops getting fixed.