The Curious Case of Workplace Woes: A Snicket-Inspired Guide for Business Leaders
Spoiler alert: Well, actually, this article doesn’t contain any real spoilers, but there are a few uncomfortable truths, a drop of dry humour, and a nudge towards prevention over cure.
In the cleverly dark tale A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket follows the Baudelaire orphans as they navigate a world plagued with poorly run institutions, questionable leadership, and a villain who thrives in chaos. While the story may be filled with fires, fraud, and a suspicious number of leeches, its underlying message is surprisingly relevant to today’s workplaces.
Because when systems falter, communication breaks down, and leadership misses the early signs - people disengage, performance suffers, and businesses pay the price.
Sound familiar?
The business of misfortune
In the world of business, unfortunate events rarely involve secret societies or disguises (unless you count that one time someone wore a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses to a board meeting).
But they can look like:
A high-performing employee suddenly resigns, and no one saw it coming, because no one ever asked how they were really doing.
A team member raises a concern, but it’s brushed aside or mishandled, leading to a formal complaint that could have been avoided with earlier intervention.
A leader who means well but doesn’t realise the damage their behaviour is doing.
A performance review system exists, but it’s a once-a-year tick-box exercise that leaves many feeling unmotivated and confused.
A team that stops speaking up because it’s just not worth the risk.
These aren’t always dramatic plot twists (although they can be). Often they’re slow burns. But like the Baudelaire children’s plight, they often go unnoticed until it’s too late.
The value of paying attention (before the fire starts)
One of the most frustrating things about the Unfortunate Events series is how often the adults fail to listen. The children see the warning signs. They speak up and they try to act. But they’re dismissed, ignored, or told to follow the rules.
In business, we can sometimes do the same.
Sometimes we don’t act until serious allegations or accusations are made, or we get that formal complaint. The penny drops when that exiting employee feels safe to speak up on their way out the door. We might assume silence means satisfaction.
Yes, I can help investigate that complaint, which can be an outcome of an unforeseen or unfortunate event. But what if we could catch the signs earlier? Proactively supporting your workplace sooner can save a lot of time, money, a cultural dip and stress for all involved.
That’s where coaching, sound performance management and feedback systems, culture and process reviews come in. They’re not about blame. They’re about curiosity, learning, solving problems and doing things better. They help us ask:
What’s really going on here?
Are our people safe to speak up?
Are our systems helping or hindering us?
Are we tackling the issues that matter most to our people and performance?
Are our staff engaged and motivated?
Avoiding the unfortunate: When conversations are avoided and issues escalate
In Snicket’s world, disasters unfold not because of one grand mistake, but because of a series of small oversights, ignored warnings, and missed opportunities to intervene.
In business, we often see the same pattern. A team member underperforms, but expectations were never clearly set. A leader avoids a difficult conversation, hoping things will “sort themselves out.” Feedback is saved for the annual review, if it happens at all. And slowly, quietly, the culture begins to fray.
Issues that go unnoticed often evolve, get bigger and lead to more complex and costly fixes.
That’s why performance management isn’t just about addressing poor performance - it’s about building clarity, consistency, and connection across your team. It’s about:
Setting clear expectations and goals.
Creating regular, two-way feedback loops.
Supporting growth and accountability, not just compliance.
Addressing issues early, before they escalate into something more costly and disruptive.
When done well, performance conversations aren’t feared; they’re welcomed. They become part of the rhythm of a healthy workplace, where people know where they stand, what’s expected, and how they’re supported.
And when they’re missing? Well, that’s when a series of unfortunate events often begins.
The good news? Unlike in the Lemony Snicket tale, you don’t need a secret code or any special tools to spot the signs. You just need to be willing to listen, observe, create space for honest conversations and act early.
Lessons from the Baudelaires (and business)
Here are a few takeaways from the world of Lemony Snicket that apply surprisingly well to the workplace:
Don’t ignore the quiet ones. They often see what others miss.
Question the systems. Just because someone says “it’s always been done this way” doesn’t mean it’s working.
Beware of charismatic leaders who don’t like being challenged. (Most of us have met a Count Olaf, someone who resists challenge and thrives in confusion).
Documentation and process matters. Especially when things go sideways.
Empathy is essential, but without accountability, it’s incomplete. Listening, really listening, creates trust. Following through builds credibility.
Final thoughts (and a more hopeful ending)
The Baudelaire children never quite escape their misfortunes. But they do survive, adapt, and ultimately find their own way forward. That’s thanks to their curiosity, courage, and refusal to accept dysfunction as normal.
Don’t wait for a series of unfortunate events to take action. Healthy, thriving workplaces choose curiosity over complacency, and they ask the hard questions before the hard consequences arrive.
The workplace is much more productive when it reads like a success story rather than a dark and melodramatic novel.
If you’d like some guidance on the way to better business practice and outcomes - from someone who’s seen a few plot twists, navigated some unexpected (and sometimes unfortunate) events, and knows how to spot the early warning signs - I’d love to help.
Get in touch if you’d like to explore ways to ensure your workplace is healthy, positive and thriving.
Della Henderson, Principal Consultant, Ruru Workplace Solutions
ruruws.co.nz