.svg)
In business, we are wired to solve problems.
If a metric drops, we investigate.
If a complaint appears, we respond.
If something breaks, we fix it.
That instinct is necessary. Organizations have to address problems and close gaps.
But there’s a subtle trap: many organizations spend most of their energy decreasing negative variance by fixing what’s wrong and very little time increasing positive variance by understanding what’s working.
We get really good at studying failure.
And we spend very little time studying excellence.
In Switch, Chip Heath and Dan Heath introduce the idea of Bright Spots.
A bright spot is simply a moment where something is already working better than expected.
Instead of asking “What’s the problem?” bright spot thinking asks:
Where is this already working?
What can we learn from it?
Problems feel overwhelming. Success feels replicable. When you focus only on what’s broken, the organization feels stuck. When you identify what’s working, you suddenly have a model you can replicate and amplify.
Most businesses unintentionally build systems around problem detection. We track complaints, failures, missed goals, service breakdowns, and negative feedback.
Those things matter.
But imagine if a doctor only studied illness and never studied health.
That’s what many organizations do.
When a guest has a terrible experience, the story spreads across dashboards and meetings. But when a team member creates an unforgettable experience for a guest, the kind that builds lifelong loyalty, it often passes quietly.
No investigation.
No replication.
No scaling.
The bright spot disappears.
At ADDO we believe something simple but powerful: excellence leaves clues.
Somewhere in your organization right now, a frontline employee consistently creates memorable experiences. There’s one location that outperforms others in guest satisfaction. It might be a team member turns frustrated guests into loyal advocates. In larger organizations, one leader has created a culture people love being part of.
The question is not if bright spots exist. The question is whether we are looking for them. Once you find them, better questions emerge.
What exactly did they do differently?
What behaviors made the difference?
What systems supported the success?
Bright spots give you a blueprint.
The goal is not to ignore problems. The goal is balance.
One approach stabilizes the system. The other elevates it.
When we talk about the Guest Experience at ADDO, bright spots become incredibly powerful. Every organization has stories where a routine transaction became a moment of care. A frustrated guest left feeling valued. A frontline employee chose empathy instead of efficiency.
Those moments matter. Not just because they are encouraging stories, but because they show us what is possible.
If it happened once, it can happen again. And if we learn from it, it can happen everywhere.
One of the most important habits leaders can develop is this: become a bright spot hunter.
Instead of asking only “What went wrong?” also ask:
Who created a remarkable moment this week?
Where did we exceed expectations?
What story deserves to be told across the organization?
When leaders spotlight excellence, people do not just hear about the standard. They see it. And when people see it, they start repeating it.
The organizations that create extraordinary cultures and experiences are not the ones that eliminate every problem.
They are the ones that find what works and amplify it.
They study excellence.
They replicate success.
They turn bright spots into cultural norms.
Because sometimes the fastest way to improve an organization is not fixing what is broken.
It is doing more of what already works.
