Trending
Let’s Step Out of the Container
I used to be charmed and perplexed by people who forced their clocks 10 minutes ahead. They’d trick themselves into showing up on time. And I’d think – isn’t that kind of like trying to tickle yourself? Doesn’t your brain see the trickery?
It’s a harder trick to perform today now that clocks mostly set themselves.
But the premise of bits of mind wizardry? Still alive and well.
And I take advantage every chance I get.
Asking clients to step out of the container with me is one of those instances. It’s a little bit of mind trickery. But it creates a shift.
It shifts the very personal “we” to a more objective “them.” It enables the team to strip back the emotion, the feelings, the blame – and to shift into observation and facts and solutions.
Most recently I played this hand with a client team who was stuck in a cycle of overthinking. Decisions kept stalling out—long after everyone knew one needed to be made.
At the start of the day people were frustrated. With each other. With themselves.
When we stepped outside the container, we could see:
- They were asking thoughtful questions—but no one was identifying who needed to answer them.
- They weren’t separating high-stakes from low-stakes decisions, which made everything feel heavier than it was.
- They weren’t clear on who needed to do something with the decision versus who just needed to be informed.
None of that was new information. But naming it—objectively, without ownership—shifted the energy. Suddenly, the team could see what was in the way. And they could act on it.
So here’s the invitation:
Next time your team is stuck—looping, stalling, debating past usefulness—take five minutes to step outside the container.
Speak in the third person. Watch the dynamics. Name what you see.
Then ask:
- What patterns show up when I see this team from the outside?
- What would I recommend if this weren’t my problem to solve?
- What would be the most useful next move they could make?
You don’t need a facilitator in the room to get there. You just need a slight shift in perspective.
Just enough distance to see the thing clearly. And then step back in—with something new to offer.