In Humble Inquiry, Edgar Schein shares a question that he utilizes to help centre him and be more mindful of all that is happening in a moment. This question can help you pause and acknowledge the narrative that is playing in your head as well as allowing you to recognize and validate other data from that moment to alter or completely reframe the situation.

I have used this in my consulting when a client is repeatedly asking me for revisions to work. My narrative is that I blew it and they are going to fire me or they are demanding and clueless! Neither narrative is helpful or correct. By pausing and asking what else was happening I recognized that my customer was in a tough spot with her boss and that the sponsorship for the project I was supporting was potentially slipping away.

This recognition helped me curb my frustration and more importantly helped me ask better questions in order to assist my client to proactively manage the situation we were facing.