First Principles Thinking: How We Get Unstuck

Clarity doesn’t come from buzzwords.

It comes from asking better questions.

Why We Get Stuck

In most organizations, we don’t solve problems. We solve symptoms.
We throw a platform at a people issue. We fix a process that was never broken — just misaligned.
We add another layer of training when what’s really needed is clarity.

It’s not because leaders don’t care. It’s because we’re overloaded. We’re reacting.
We’re too close to the problem and under too much pressure to move even if we’re moving in the wrong direction.

That’s where First Principles Thinking comes in.

What It Actually Means (No Tech Bros Required)

First Principles Thinking is a way of breaking things down to their most basic truths and building back up from there.

Not “How have we always done it?”
Not “What’s best practice?”
Not “What are others doing?”

Instead, we ask:

✅ What is actually true about this situation?

✅ What do we know vs. what are we assuming?

✅ What outcome do we really need — and why?

It sounds simple. But when applied with intention, it’s powerful.

How It Gets You Unstuck and Why It Matters

At Engage3P, we use First Principles Thinking to cut through the noise and help clients get unstuck across all three pillars:

• People:
  When someone says “We need better performance,” we ask: Is this a motivation issue, a structure issue, or a clarity issue? Nine times out of ten, it’s not the person. It’s the environment in which they’re operating.

• Process:
  When a process seems inefficient, we don’t just map it. We ask: What was this process built to protect? Sometimes what looks inefficient is actually a workaround for a deeper misalignment.

• Platform:
  When a platform isn’t being used, we don’t blame adoption. We ask: Was this platform chosen to solve the real problem? Or was it solving a political one?

The goal isn’t to sound smart.
The goal is to stop solving the wrong problem.
That’s what First Principles Thinking is for.

A Story: Solving the Wrong Problem . . . Perfectly?!

A client once asked me to help them build a retention and off-boarding strategy.
Their leadership team believed the problem was policy-driven:

“Other companies are offering better perks. That’s why we’re losing people. We need to match that.”

So I went to work.
We researched best-in-class policies. Built “best of breed” documents.
Crafted a thoughtful rollout strategy to signal: we value you.

And it didn’t move the needle.

Why? Because I wasn’t allowed to talk to the teams.

The most basic first principle why are people leaving? was off the table.
We had guesses. Assumptions. Industry comparisons.
But we never actually asked.

And the problem wasn’t policy.
It was culture. Leadership inconsistency. Lack of growth paths.
People weren’t leaving because of time off.
They were leaving because no one asked what mattered.

So What Do We Do With That?

We slow down.
We stop comparing.
And we ask better questions.

Because if you're solving symptoms, you’re going to stay stuck.
But if you can get back to truth — even if it’s uncomfortable — you can actually move.

At Engage3P, this is how we help organizations get clear.
We don’t bring cookie-cutter solutions.
We bring the lens that gets you to the root — fast, and with intention.

Want help getting to the root of your real challenge?

Let’s figure it out — together.
✅ Start with the Intelligence Intake
✅ Or schedule a free 30-minute Strategy Spark Session