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Irrational Becomes Rational with Context
Leadership / Principles · Added Apr 2026
Behaviour that looks irrational usually makes perfect sense once you understand the constraints.
The Idea
Bob Moesta uses this phrase in his work on Jobs to Be Done: all behaviour is rational when you understand the context behind it. When someone does something that seems absurd — a bad decision, a strange process, resistance to an obvious improvement — your first instinct is to judge. But almost always, there's a context you're missing: a constraint, a history, a risk you don't see. What looks irrational from the outside is often perfectly rational from the inside.
Why It Matters
- Judging without context leads to wrong interventions. You fix the wrong thing.
- Understanding the "why" behind behaviour is the fastest path to changing it.
- This applies to organisations, teams, and individuals. Legacy processes exist for reasons, even when those reasons have expired.
- Curiosity beats judgement as a leadership tool.
How to Apply
- When behaviour seems irrational, ask "what would make this rational?" and look for that context.
- Before proposing change, understand what the current state is optimised for — even if it's optimised for something you disagree with.
- Assume competence until proven otherwise. People rarely act irrationally on purpose.
- Share context generously. If your decisions seem irrational to your team, you're probably not sharing enough.
The Trap
Using this as an excuse to never challenge anything. Understanding why something exists doesn't mean it should continue. The context that made it rational may no longer apply.
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