I watched a new TV show last weekend, and there it was again. The line that, once you notice it, ruins almost every script it touches.
“What do we do now?”
I want you to watch this short clip of Reese Witherspoon explaining exactly why this four-word sentence is so toxic. It is a masterclass in identifying the subtle ways we give away our power.
Before I heard Reese talk about this, I never truly “heard” the line. It was just background noise. I never considered it a problem, let alone a symptom of something deeper.
This is the definition of a blind spot.
We don’t know what we don’t know. Often, the things we are missing are the very things that would make the most difference in our growth. In movies, this line strips a character of their agency. In the workplace, it does something even worse. It turns high-performing professionals into passengers who are simply waiting for a driver.
Once you see this pattern, you cannot unsee it. You start to notice it in meetings, in emails, and in the way teams lean on their leaders. It is the sound of potential stalling out.
We usually think of blind spots as embarrassing or dangerous. We treat them like bugs in our software that need to be patched immediately.
But here is the reframe: The moment you identify a blind spot, you have found your next level of performance. The “What do we do now?” feeling is a signal. It isn’t a sign that you are failing: it is a sign that you have reached the edge of your current “map.” When you feel that urge to ask for directions, you aren’t actually lost. You are just standing at the frontier of your own agency.
The discomfort you feel when you realize you’ve been “scripted” is actually the birth of a new leadership capacity. It is the transition from a Fixed Mindset (waiting for the right answer) to a Growth Mindset (creating the answer).
Once you realize that “What do we do now?” is a signal of a blind spot, you have to decide how to respond to it in real-time. Whether the words are coming out of your mouth or someone else’s, the goal is the same: move from Passive Waiting to Active Intent.
When you hear yourself saying it
It usually happens when you’re tired, overwhelmed, or facing a problem you haven’t seen before. Your brain wants to offload the cognitive load to someone else.
The Pivot: Catch the question before it leaves your lips. If it does slip out, immediately follow it with: “Wait, let me rephrase that. Based on what I see, I think our best move is X. What am I missing?”
The “I Intend To” Rule: Practice the habit of never presenting a problem without a proposed next step. Even if you are 90% sure your idea is wrong, stating an intent forces your brain back into the driver’s seat. It changes your posture from a passenger to a navigator.
Intent is not “The Answer”: This isn’t about being a lone genius. Stating an intent can be as simple as saying, “I intend to pull the team together this afternoon to analyze our options.” By doing this, you aren’t waiting for a boss to tell you when to collaborate. You are designing the conditions for the solution to emerge. You are owning the process, even if you don’t own the final answer yet.
When you hear your team saying it
This is the “Answering Machine” trap. When a report or a coworker asks you what to do, your ego wants to provide the answer. It feels good to be the expert. But every time you provide the “fix,” you are accidentally training them to remain in the blind spot.
Create the Container: Instead of giving the answer, hold the space for theirs. Use what David Marquet calls “The Ladder of Leadership.”
The Reflection Technique: When they ask “What do we do now?”, respond with: “That’s a critical question. Before I share my perspective, I want to hear yours. If you were in total control here, what would your first move be and why?”
Adjust and Decide Together: This isn’t about leaving them stranded. It’s about collaborative adjustment. Once they share their intent, you can say: “I like that logic. Let’s tweak this one part to account for X, and then let’s run with it.” You are no longer giving orders: you are refining their leadership.
Banish the “Answering Machine” response. Next time you or your team feels stuck, remember that the goal isn’t to be right. The goal is to be active. Replace “What do we do now?” with “I intend to…” even if that intent is just to gather the right people to solve it together.
The Coaching Prompt
Grab a notebook or bring these to your next 1-on-1:
- The Reaction Audit: The last time a team member suggested a “wrong” course of action, did you shut it down or did you explore their logic?
- The Safety Check: Does my team know what “safe to fail” looks like in this project? Or do they feel they only have one shot to be right?
- The “I Intend To” Challenge: How can I encourage my team to start their updates with the phrase “I intend to” this week?
Thank you for reading the Emerging Leadership Newsletter Each edition explores one idea that helps leaders create organizations where people take responsibility and deliver impact. If this resonates with you, feel free to share it with a colleague or start a conversation in your team.
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