Some problems are like mazes. They’re meant to be solved. The goal is to get out of the maze – to get rid of the problem. These maze problems are like puzzles. You can think your way out of them. You can learn from your mistakes and you can get better, faster, and more efficient at solving them. Lots of the problems you face everyday are maze problems.

But, there’s another kind of problem – labyrinth problems.
Labyrinth problems aren’t puzzles to be solved. They’re conditions to be explored and experienced. Culture change and leadership development are labyrinth problems. You can’t “solve” either of them. There’s no way “out”.

If you want to change a culture or develop as a leader: you’re entering a labyrinth not a maze.
In a maze the way in and the way out are different. You start “here’ and end “there”.
In a labyrinth the way in is the way out. You’re always “here” – in the culture. On the next turn in your leadership journey.

Labyrinth problems aren’t errors to be corrected.
Labyrinth problems are invitations to enter more deeply into the questions, conundrums, confusions, frustrations, hopes, longings that they stir up.

A workplace example:
Attendance at the weekly project team meeting was inconsistent. And people would often arrive late or leave early.
If the team leader takes this as a maze problem, she would try to find  better time to meet. A time that would: get everyone to attend regularly and be on time.

But, if she took this to be a labyrinth problem, than she would have conversation about: the value of the project, individual’s sense of investment,  and the forces (both personal and organizational) that were contributing to the erratic attendance.

A personal example:
I’m working on a new book. I’m writing about the value that meditation/mindfulness brings to the practice of leadership. I’ve been struggling with the writing. And I’ve been approaching completing the book as though it were a maze to figure out.

Then my friend, Jen Louden, suggested a different approach. She calls it “word … word …word.” It’s very simple. I just sit and hold the intention of the book in mind. Then, I wait for a word. When one comes – I write it. And then I wait for the next word. Sometimes I’ll get several at once.

It’s a different approach to writing. One that is like walking the labyrinth. Step by step. Word by word. This approach is revealing the book that wants to be written. I’m learning as I go. I’m being effected by the writing.

In walking the labyrinth, the idea isn’t to get through it faster and faster.
Rather, the idea is to become more fully absorbed with each step. To become more fully present with each step. So that each step along the labyrinthine path takes you deeper and deeper into your self , your question, and your intention.

Even when you reach the center of the labyrinth – you’re not “finished.”
Because the way in is the way out. When you leave the labyrinth, you’re not done either.

It’s the same with all deeply meaningful endeavor – like raising a family, building a loving relationship, or realizing your life’s work. These are labyrinth problems. You can’t solve them. You can only continue walking and learning as you go.

What’s the big labyrinth problem you’re experiencing right now?

(photo of Eric in the the labyrinth by Joseph Duba M.D.)

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1. What I learned doing nothing
2. Facing Fear: A 10-second tutorial