The Box

Bob writes to The Cube . . .

It seems that we are working inside a "box."

We weren't aware of our box, but we were advised/ordered/berated/seminared/solicited yesterday to "challenge the box."

So I kicked-in a cardboard box to fulfill expectations.

That wasn't enough.

"Think outside the box, Bob," I was told.

OK: 2 + 2 = 5.

Nope (although it seems to be how Sales calculates it's accomplishments when year-end Boast Time, er, "Assessment Review" comes around).

"Don't let your thinking become trapped inside the box, Bob," and I realized that the Box Top telling me this was outside the box. Yes, he was. He was a consultant and he couldn't be inside my box, er, job.

Satori - Enlightenment.

I am box-ed in. There are four walls around me, cutting off my view of the rest of the company, of the window, of the world.

"Focus on the box, Bob, break out of it - the company needs you to break out of the box."

I don't think they want that.

"What if we... thinking outside the box... gave you our creative ideas... without restraint? What if we... acting outside the box... performed our jobs... as our combined experience/inspiration... told us would be most effective? What if we... looking outside the box... found the flaw... in the workflow our bosses created years ago... and corrected it? What if we... challenging the box... got rid of those obstacles... that are the flaw... that are our bosses? What if we... outside the box..."

"Bob, focus. Concentrate. You're wandering. Keep your goals directed."

Oh, yes - I forgot. This is a seminar: the words are just words. They mean nothing. They sound good, though. Inspirational.

The box.

Really just a fairy tale. No one would want to go outside the box. It's a wilderness out there. You never know what may happen. You never know, outside the box...