🛠️The Weekly Spark #17: When Quick Fixes Become the Default…

Hey everyone – Miri here! 👋 Every week, I sit down to write this Weekly Spark and reflect on something I’ve observed, experienced, or felt — and this week, it’s all about something I’ve bumped into way too many times (and I bet you have, too): ✨ The good old quick fix. ✨ Ah yes — the workaround, the patch, the “just for now” solution that magically becomes… permanent. 😅 You know the one. That one extra spreadsheet someone made because the tool wasn’t working that day — and suddenly, we’re all working from that spreadsheet. Or the emergency email template we promised to update “later” — but later never came. Or the help center article with 4 conflicting updates because “no time to clean it up right now.”

It’s so common, we barely question it anymore. But lately, I’ve been thinking: How did “quick fix” become the default way of working? And what does it cost us in the long run?

 🙈 How it starts

Quick fixes are born from good intentions. We want to keep the wheels turning, unblock our teammates, get through the day. No one wants to be that person slowing things down with process updates or root cause investigations when people are yelling for help.

And honestly? Sometimes, a quick fix is exactly what’s needed in the moment. Especially in operations or customer-facing teams, where the workload is intense and most problems feel like they needed solving yesterday.

I’ve worked in those environments — managing large teams, handling escalations, juggling 10 things at once. There were days where I just needed to make it work so my team could breathe. In those moments, you need fast decisions, and yes, even shortcuts.

And that’s okay — as long as we don’t stop there.

 ⏳ So why do we default to quick fixes?

Because let’s be honest: solving the actual problem takes time, and time is the one thing most teams don’t have.

Getting to the root cause often means stopping to zoom out. Asking uncomfortable questions. Challenging legacy processes. Having conversations like:

• Why are we doing it this way?
• Who is responsible for this step?
• Is this still solving the right problem?

It requires brainpower, context, collaboration — and ideally, a quiet moment to think. And let’s face it: in fast-paced environments, those “quiet moments” are rare.

So we end up stacking workaround on workaround, and suddenly we’ve created entire ecosystems based on urgency rather than intention.

I’ve seen this happen at every level — in small process choices and big strategic decisions. What started as a quick fix becomes the new normal, and no one quite remembers how it got there.

 🌱 What I’ve learned over time

Even though I usually root for finding the root cause (pun definitely intended 😉), I’ve also learned to evaluate the situation.

Sometimes, a patch is necessary in the moment. But the real difference is what you do after the crisis.

👉 Do you make a note to revisit it?

👉 Do you involve the right people later to rethink the process?

👉 Do you leave space to rebuild when the urgency fades?

One of the best practices I picked up as a team manager was simple but effective: 📌 After handling a tough case or escalation, we’d take 10-15 minutes to document the edge case, update the SOP, or tweak a template. No big meetings, no project plans — just a moment of intention. Those little actions had a huge impact later on.

 💬 Some of the most valuable team moments I’ve had…

…were when someone finally asked: “Why are we still doing it like this?” Or: “Can we build this properly now?” We didn’t always have the time to change everything. But we planted the seed. And sometimes, that was enough to spark a bigger shift later. It taught me something important:

➡️ The danger isn’t using a quick fix. It’s never coming back to solve the deeper issue.

That’s the muscle I’ve tried to build — not just reacting fast, but making sure we also reflect. Because that’s how we go from coping to improving.

 🔁 A small spark for this week:

Next time you hear yourself or a teammate say,

“Let’s just fix it quickly for now…”

Pause.

Ask:

“And when will we fix it properly?” Or even better — write it down. Block 30 minutes next week. Loop in the right people. Add it to the retro. Keep it alive.

You don’t need to change everything at once. But even a small step toward real improvement can be a game-changer. For your team. For future-you. For your sanity. 😄

Let’s stop letting our temporary fixes turn into permanent friction.

 💬 Over to you:

What’s the most creative (or hilarious) quick fix you’ve seen that somehow became a permanent system?

Or — tell me about a moment when your team finally broke the loop and improved something for good.

Let’s share stories, laugh a bit, and learn from each other. 💬👇

#WeeklySpark #Leadership #LearningCulture #OperationsLife #ContinuousImprovement #RootCause #Teamwork