There's one misconception I encounter everywhere: when something gets stuck, people work harder.
More meetings. More planning. More analyzing. More people at the table. More control instruments.
And nobody sees that the system isn't stuck due to lack of effort, but due to too much noise.
In this article, I give a simple, practical method to remove that noise from an organization, team, relationship, or project — without hassle, without models, without management jargon.
It works because it goes back to something every person understands: coherence.
1. Stop with solutions, start with observation
The reflex is: "What should we do about it?" But that's exactly where it goes wrong.
When you jump straight to solutions, you stop looking at what's actually happening.
Practical step:
Have everyone solve nothing for 48 hours. Just let them observe what's happening.
Note patterns:
- Where is energy being lost?
- Where is there friction?
- Where does flow actually get going?
You don't need training to see noise. You just need to stop running.
2. Remove one blockage, not twenty
In every system, 80% of the noise can be traced back to one bottleneck. Not five. Not thirteen. One.
That bottleneck is almost always:
- unclear role division
- hidden tension
- unspoken expectation
- lack of safety
- or a leader who's sending the wrong signal
The trick: Don't optimize, clear the disturbance.
Practical step:
- Identify the biggest energy leak.
- Make it visible.
- Make one clear agreement that corrects that point.
- Leave the rest alone.
You don't need to repair a system. You just need to remove the disturbance.
3. Work with 3 signals, not 30 KPIs
KPIs kill creativity. Too many measurements make a system blind.
Use these three signals — you don't need more:
A. Flow signal
Can people keep working or does everything keep getting stuck?
B. Tension signal
Where is there friction, where does energy drop, where does it go quiet?
C. Direction signal
Is it clear what the purpose is, or is everyone searching for direction on their own?
If these three are right, a system works. If one is missing, you get problems.
Practical step:
Check these three signals weekly (10 minutes). If something deviates: make it discussable, not measurable.
4. The 10-minute rule: the fastest way to restore team coherence
This works in companies, relationships, families, projects, boat crews — everywhere.
Every week 10 minutes:
Everyone answers three questions:
- What went easily?
- What cost energy?
- What do I need to run smoothly?
- — No discussion.
- — Just listen.
- — Close after 10 minutes.
- — Choose one action that removes the biggest energy leak.
This is the simplest way to restore coherence.
It works because systems restore themselves as soon as the field is safe and clear.
5. If you remember just one thing
Systems don't get stuck on behavior. They get stuck on:
- noise
- lack of clarity
- hidden tension
- too many words
- too little observation
Practical solutions aren't tricks. They're interventions that bring a system back in line with how it already wants to work.
When you remove the noise, flow comes naturally.
And the best part: you don't need to read a theory book for it. Just learn to look.