When the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Master Trainers stumped me with the paradox of clarity, only to reveal the magic of the method
“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”— Eugene Ionesco
Four years ago, when I was in Billund getting trained by Robert Rasmussen for the LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) foundation program, Robert often asked, “Is that sufficiently unclear?” Unlike the comforting “Is it clear?” it pushed me out of my comfort zone. My first thought was, “Is this a trick question? Am I missing something?” I was too new to the world of LEGO® Serious Play®(LSP), and the phrase “sufficiently unclear” felt more amusing than enlightening.
Fast forward to a recent post-foundation training with Per Kristiansen, and I heard the same question again! After each round, Per would ask with a knowing smirk, “So! Sufficiently unclear?” — this time it felt like a philosophical hand grenade hurled with precision.
As I reflect on my journey with LEGO® Serious Play®, I now see the brilliance of this phrase — “sufficiently unclear.”
No, it’s not about leaving us spinning in confusion.
It’s a paradox and therein lies its brilliance — it’s not about contradiction but coexistence. It’s about a space where clarity and freedom thrive together, with enough guidance to get started but left with the freedom to discover.
Think of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”– prisoners are chained, unable to turn their heads, they see only shadows on a wall. To them, these shadows represent reality. But when a prisoner escapes and experiences the world beyond the cave, he is momentarily blinded by the sunlight before comprehending the vastness of ultimate reality. Similarly, participants in an LSP workshop often arrive with clear perspectives, shadows cast by their assumptions and certainty. The LEGO®bricks in front of them at first may seem like mere blocks to play with, even though the bricks hold tremendous power to unveil the unseen.
Plato’s escaped prisoner, once adjusted to the sunlight, discovers a world that is far richer than the shadows he once knew and “would felicitate himself on the change.” Likewise, in an LSP workshop, when hands move faster than thoughts unlocking insights, each model reveals something deeper, unraveling a larger truth beyond. These bricks, like Plato’s sunlight, let the participants step out of the cave of certainty and into a broader and brighter understanding.
“Sufficiently unclear” acknowledges that you cannot know it all. The “unclear” isn’t a barrier; it’s a gateway. The space between knowing and not knowing is where the magic happens, where insights unfold in unexpected ways. It allows room for serendipity, for surprising moments of clarity, for connections to form that wouldn’t be possible if everything had been too well defined. One needs to remain “sufficiently unclear” to allow epiphanies to emerge from this enigmatic space between knowing and not knowing.With every LEGO®brick, one steps further into the light that would have remained hidden in the shadows like Plato’s cave.
To me, “sufficiently unclear” is enlightening — it is a strength where curiosity unites with courage. It encourages me to abandon the comfort of certainty, boldly step into the unknown, and grow through the journey of discovery.
I never asked the geniuses, Robert or Per what they meant by this profound phrase — I don’t need to. In LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) method, there’s no right or wrong interpretation; every perspective is unique and celebrated.
And, I love being “sufficiently unclear!”
“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one” — Voltaire.
Manali Mitra is the Founder and Chief Facilitator of BlockstoUnblock Studio LLP
Connect with her on LinkedIn
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