The Most Obvious Problem Is Often the Wrong One

Why do people keep solving the wrong problem? In this episode of An Ounce, a real emergency response story at an international airport reveals a common pattern: the most obvious problem often isn’t the real one. What looks urgent can be a symptom, while the real cause hides underneath. A man falls in an airport. Blood everywhere. It looks simple. But something doesn’t fit. What follows reveals a pattern that appears everywhere... in medicine, in workplaces, in politics, and in everyday life. Symptoms demand attention. They’re loud, dramatic, and urgent. But the deeper causes of problems are often quieter and harder to see. Learning to recognize that difference may change the way you look at problems entirely. If this story stayed with you, you might know someone else who would appreciate it.

You can listen to The Most Obvious Problem Is Often the Wrong One online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Most Obvious Problem Is Often the Wrong One is an episode from An Ounce by Jim Fugate.

This episode is 5:18 long.

This episode was published on Mar 18, 2026.

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