🧰 From the Toolbox: The Left-Hand Column Technique
🔍 When to Use It
We’ve all encountered someone on our team who consistently feels difficult to work with—the kind of person who drains energy from meetings or stalls progress. If you find yourself stuck in recurring, unproductive conversations with a teammate or stakeholder, the Left-Hand Column technique can help shift the dynamic.
This tool is also a great entry point into the world of systems thinking. As Peter Senge says, you can’t practice systems thinking effectively without being curious about your own mental models. These internal narratives silently filter what we see as true—and they often shape how we show up in conversation without us realizing it.
🧠 What It Is
The Left-Hand Column technique comes from Peter Senge’s classic work The Fifth Discipline. It helps you uncover what you were thinking but not saying during a difficult interaction.
Here’s how it works:
- Choose a recent conversation—ideally one that feels stuck or is on auto-repeat.
- Create two columns. In the right-hand column, write down the actual conversation (you can use a transcript tool for accuracy).
- In the left-hand column, write what you were really thinking but didn’t say.
- Study the gap. What were you holding back? What were you afraid might happen if you said it out loud?
Ask yourself:
- Why do I believe this?
- What assumptions am I making?
- What prevented me from saying what I really thought?
- What might I try differently next time?
💡 Why It Works
This exercise creates a mirror. When you write and then read your left-hand column, you’re forced to confront your own mental models. That clarity is powerful.
By naming your internal story, you can begin to question its accuracy—and its impact. When you bring this awareness into future conversations (and sometimes even share parts of your left-hand column), you open the door to more honest, non-defensive dialogue. Instead of being locked in a right/wrong tug-of-war, you create the conditions for mutual understanding.
🛠️ How to Start
You can try this right now. Pick a low-stakes but frustrating interaction, and capture a transcript of what was said. Write your unspoken thoughts alongside it.
Then reflect on the gap: What were you avoiding? What did you assume? What were you protecting?
In a follow-up conversation, you might even choose to share your assumptions and test them out. You could also use an AI assistant to roleplay a version of the conversation where you do say what you were thinking.
🧭 The Ally Angle
At Ally, curiosity is a core value. We believe learning starts with self-awareness—and that means being willing to confront our own blind spots and defenses.
Tools like the Left-Hand Column help us get out of our own way. They help us lead and coach from a place of clarity, courage, and growth. Nobody is perfect—and that’s not the point. We’re here to do better, together.
💬 Closing
Do you have a difficult conversation coming up? Want to try the Left-Hand Column technique? Drop us a note and let us know how it goes. We’d love to learn from your experience.
