The Rake Theory in Business: Why Leaders Keep Repeating the Same Mistakes

In business, patterns matter. When a problem keeps showing up across projects, teams, or strategic decisions, it's not a one-off.  This is where the Rake Theory comes in. The core idea is simple: If you keep stepping on the same problem, it’s not an accident.  It’s a decision you haven’t changed.

In leadership, it’s easy to chalk up repeated failures to bad timing, difficult teams, or uncontrollable variables. But if the same outcomes keep showing up, the root cause is likely not external.  It’s internal. It’s in the way you make decisions, set expectations, or avoid uncomfortable action.

Recognizing the Business Rakes

Rakes in business aren’t hidden. They're often right in front of us. We’ve just gotten used to stepping over or around them until we can’t anymore. Here are some of the most common:

• Hiring for convenience instead of culture or capability.

  You need someone fast, so you compromise and six months later, you’re managing conflict, underperformance, or attrition.

• Delaying tough conversations.

  Whether it’s feedback, accountability, or strategic redirection, avoiding conflict only creates larger, more painful problems later.

• Overcommitting without capacity.

  Saying yes to everything.  Client demands, internal initiatives, and new projects

• Holding onto failing strategies.

  When data shows something isn’t working but you keep pushing it because of sunk cost, ego, or fear of change.  That’s a rake.

• Micromanagement.

  You think you’re staying in control, but in reality, you’re creating dependency and bottlenecking your team’s growth.

Why Leaders Keep Stepping on Them

Even experienced leaders fall into these traps. Not because they don’t know better but because change requires intentional discomfort.

Here’s why the pattern persists:

• Short-term wins are rewarded more than long-term fixes.

  It’s easier to patch a problem than rebuild the foundation.

• Busyness disguises poor decision-making.

  When everything feels urgent, reflection gets pushed aside. And without reflection, patterns go unnoticed.

• Accountability is externalized.

  Blaming the market, the team, or the timing gives temporary relief.

  
  

How to Break the Pattern

1. Identify the Pattern. Start with radical honesty. What’s the issue that keeps resurfacing? Don’t generalize it, name it specifically. If you’re always putting out fires, ask why the fires keep starting.

2. Trace it back to a decision. What choice or avoidance is at the root of the problem? What did you allow, enable, or ignore that led here?

3. Take different action even if it’s uncomfortable. Better decisions often feel harder in the moment. Letting someone go, canceling a misaligned project, or admitting you were wrong takes courage.

4. Build feedback loops. Create systems that force reflection: regular post-mortems, team debriefs, strategic reviews. Patterns thrive in silence.

Final Thought

The Rake Theory reminds us that recurring problems aren’t bad luck, they’re signals. Patterns. Feedback loops we haven’t responded to. So if it keeps happening, stop asking, “Why does this keep happening to me? Start asking, “What decision do I need to change to prevent this from happening again?”

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