How the nuance loop kills problem-solving

A nuance loop is when people spend their time discussing irrelevant nuance instead of taking action. It’s incredibly easy for a team to get caught in a nuance loop.

I avoided one last week. During an interview for an upcoming podcast in which I talk about my book RELIT: How to Rekindle Yourself in the Darkness of Compassion Fatigue, the interviewer asked what the difference between caregiver burnout and compassion fatigue is.

Since RELIT is about compassion fatigue and the podcast is about caregiving, it would seem a reasonable question. I think, however, that it’s a distraction from the real topic, which is: How do I avoid, overcome, and recover from this awful feeling I have?

Talking about the difference in definitions in this case is a bit like being stuck on the side of the road, unable to put your car in gear. At that moment, it doesn’t matter whether the problem is the clutch or the transmission; you aren’t going anywhere.

Arguing with your passenger about whether it’s the clutch or the transmission will be a big waste of time. It distracts from the real topic which is: How are we going to get where we need to go?

Discussing irrelevant nuance delays real action

I’ve been in countless situations where a team gets bogged down in a nuance loop instead of taking action. I bet you have, too.

The situation I hate most is when a group starts wordsmithing a mission or vision statement.

“I think collaborate is a better term than work together. And impact feels overused. What about effect, or outcome?”

As a professional editor, poet, and lifelong writer, I am all about precise language and the power of words. As an experienced leader, I understand how a clear mission statement can serve as a team’s guiding light.

But come on. Getting in a nuance loop about the precise wording of a mission statement when you should be executing on the mission is simply productive procrastination.

That’s when the thing you’re doing is keeping you from doing the thing you should be doing.

Five things that get people caught in a nuance loop

Nuance loops usually look and feel like productivity, which makes them so seductive and hard to break out of. When there’s conflict, people want to overcome it so they can move forward. But a nuance loop is a retreat into non-conflict, which feels comfortable to everyone participating. And it absolutely destroys forward motion. It takes an act of will for someone to break that loop of comfort and drag everyone else forward.

When your team (boards of directors are the worst about this) is caught in a nuance loop, it’s probably for one of these five reasons. There are others, but these are the five I’ve seen most often.

1. The problem being solved is poorly defined

You haven’t all agreed on the problem you’re trying to solve. Leadership teams get bogged down in rewriting mission statements when they don’t really know what’s wrong with their organization. Working on a mission statement feels productive, but it won’t actually fix a poor sales incentive program, change a dysfunctional culture, or solve a quality control problem.

2. The solution involves skills, knowledge, or assets you don’t have

If the problem is clearly defined but you aren’t capable of addressing it, you do what you are capable of. You keep talking about the problem because talking about the problem is what you’ve already proved you’re good at. You can keep feeling productive and successful talking about the problem more, even though the problem isn’t getting solved.

3. You don’t know the next right step

If you are clear on the problem and have the ability to address it, you may simply not know what the next right step to take is. People may even be in conflict about which step is the next right step. If Joe believes the team needs to do X and Jane believes the team needs to do Y, they may revert to arguing about the nuances of the problem instead of move forward with either X or Y.

4. The next right step seems hard or feels uncomfortable

When you know what needs to be done, are capable of doing it, and know the next right step, you may be reluctant to take that next step because it seems hard or feels uncomfortable. It can be easier and less scary to fall back on doing what you are comfortable with, which is discussing the nuances of the problem. For example, dealing with caregiver burnout and compassion fatigue is hard. Super hard. So maybe it’s easier to talk about the difference between the two terms than to tell people it’s okay to impose personal boundaries and put their own self-care ahead of the needs of the one they’re caring for sometimes.

5. You just geek out on the topic

Sometimes if you just totally geek out on a topic, you can just fall into talking about the topic because it’s so much fun for you. I am especially susceptible to this. I can waste a lot of time in discussion of nuance just for how interesting I find it, which can keep me from taking actions and moving forward.

Break the nuance loop

Anyone can get caught in a nuance loop. And that means everyone has the ability to recognize, intercept, and break it. While it’s always the responsibility of the leader or facilitator to move things forward, if you see your group getting caught in a nuance loop, be the one to break it.

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RELIT: How to Rekindle Yourself in the Darkness of Compassion Fatigue gives practical, relevant, actionable advice on avoiding and overcoming compassion fatigue and caregiver burnout. As a professional coach, I have to pay close attention to self-regulation and my own personal resilience. My chapter explains the things I do to stay centered and stay focused so I can give every client my best, every time.
Download my chapter for free: Show up. Try hard. Be nice.
Or just go buy the whole book. It’s worth it.