Then, somewhere along the way, the box simply became a box. It was what held groceries, or fruit, or paper. It lost its mystery and became a trash can or a lowly container. I started to notice how dirty and flimsy cardboard could be. I threw out boxes that held presents and gave no thought to what they could be with a little imagination.

The box has gotten a poor rap lately when it comes to the world of paradigms and perception. A paradigm can be is the assumptions, concepts, practices or values that constitutes a way of viewing reality for a community. Or more simply, a paradigm is the assumed conceptual and practical view of reality. We all have our own paradigms in life. We all think, act and feel in certain ways because of how we perceive the world through our own experiences and knowledge. We all have a box, and our box, is the foundation and framework by which we have chosen to live our lives.

In many ways it’s great to have a box. It can provide stability and security in our lives. We have knowledge and experiences that have given us wisdom and have allowed us to act in certain ways. The traditions of the past have given us a solid foundation upon which we build institutions and practices. We have been able to control things and make them work according to how we believe the world should work. Our box has been shaped by what we hold dear, what we believe in, and what we are passionate about.

However remaining in our box can have some negative effects on our lives. Boxes quickly become comfort zones within which we choose to stay. Many times our box is not big enough or shaped appropriately enough to include others who have differing assumptions, concepts, practices or values. When you sit in a box you also tend to have blind spots. Though you may be able to see out of the box, your boundaries tend to obscure what else is out there. Change is also difficult because it becomes harder to imagine what else a box could look like. Finally you are rarely aware of your irrelevancy to those outside the box. This is the greatest danger for leaders and churches in the 21st century.

The cry of many leaders over the last few years is to throw off the oppression of the box. Many of us have encountered the fabled, ‘OUT OF THE BOX’ thinker or leader. These are people who have stepped out of their own confines, who wrestle with the big questions, who can criticize and analyse the present situation with clarity and creativity. Being outside the boundaries and old restrictions allows someone the freedom to dream and see beyond the limitations of their box. There has been an elevation of leaders who can see that something needs to be different, something needs to change or else we risk becoming a garbage bin.

The issue though, is not whether or not one is an Out of the Box thinker. Many people can criticize what is wrong, the true leader in the 21st century will be the one who is able to not only step out of the box but also create a new box. You see, being out of the box is merely a transitional step. While it is one thing to throw off the traditions, hindrances, faulty thinking of the old paradigm (and openly criticize it or cause people to question it), it is quite another thing to build a new place for people to move their thinking, living, and feeling to. Human freedom and creativity are best understood in a context of boundaries and foundations. We don’t want a place that is free of assumptions, concepts, practices and values. We don’t want anarchy and chaos, where anything goes because nothing is believed. We just want a place that allows for us to be understood and a place where we can express our values and actions in proper context.

So the 21st Century leader needs to understand that a new box is not simply a rejection of the old box but a reworking and reshaping of the good and valuable parts of old paradigms. A good box builder is able to determine what parts of the box are necessary (say the values and actions of a community) and how they can be shaped into a new paradigm. A new box may recognize the past investment and victories but also implement new strategies and concepts or make new assumptions about how the community will express itself.

It is through a process of exposure and realization that leaders will understand more about how their box needs to be shaped. Exposure to new and different ideas, values, and people may cause the leader to see something in a different light or make them ‘jealous’ of something that they want. This may led to realization that perhaps their box needs to be reshaped or recreated altogether. Or, the process may be that the leader realizes something needs to change in the community. They may or may not know exactly what it is but intuitively they know things aren’t quite right. It is only through exposure that they may see what they need to do.

Finally, in shaping a new box, Dee Hock (the founder of VISA) suggests a four-point exercise. The first thing to consider is, ‘How things were.’ What did the previous paradigms and boxes look like? This can easily turn into open criticism of the past but this should not be the case. The second thing to consider is ‘How things are.’ This is the stage at which people step outside the box and take a long hard look at their situation. This stage calls for honesty and vulnerability. This is also a frightening stage for many as they are confronted with the limitations of their current paradigm. Third, Dee Hock says to consider, ‘How things might be.’ If nothing changes over the next 5-10 years what will be the impact of remaining in the current box. This is probably the hardest stage because it forces people to project into the future the relevancy or irrelevancy of their own paradigm. Finally, and probably the most fun, is the fourth point, ‘How things ought to be.’ This is where the new box is envisioned. This is where the reshaping takes place as leaders dream about a new system, a new project, or better yet, a new tomorrow. This is the transitional phase from being outside the box (without any limitations) to creating a new box (shaping what it will look like).

So don’t be too quick to throw away your old box, it might be handy in shaping a better tomorrow.