High Lights – A Modern-day Jack-in-the-Box

Through my six years at West High School in Salt Lake City, I worked as a “techie” – stage technicians that run the behind-the-scenes work for school productions, including light, sound, props, costumes, even ushering. In my junior year, I served as the light crew head for our school play “The Skin of our Teeth.” It was a very technically involved production, and offered perfect opportunities to step “inside the box.”

As the crew head, I was responsible for a crew of 5 other techies, designing the lights, placing them, running spotlights, and performing on-the-fly repairs. Unfortunately for them, everything had to be done my way. As I stepped into the box, I saw that when I organized something, it went right, and when someone else did it, it went wrong. Of course, this frustrated me, and I stepped farther into the box, rationalizing that I was better than the rest. We clashed often, and I became more frustrated at their lack of cooperation. We were a team, and I was the boss, right?

I began to turn things around when I was counseled to walk a mile in their shoes. As I began to see their point of view – both literally and figuratively, I found that I wasn’t always right. There are often different ways of placing a light, or a different tint, or lens that give quite desirable results. My ideas worked, but so did theirs. We became a true team, working for a common goal and feeding off each other’s ideas.

I have found that the key to stepping out of the box is keeping a fresh perspective – notably that of the other person. It is so easy to judge when you are hidden behind your own viewpoint. By opening your field of view and seeing what the other person sees, feeling what they feel, you can step out of the box with ease. Being in the box is like wearing blinders, it restricts your view and doesn’t allow you to appreciate what is around you.