7  How to Navigate Zoo Games

A black and white cartoon titled “How to Navigate Zoo Games.” A consultant in a blazer says, “They’re working with what they know…” while a client wearing a lion costume replies, “So aim for understanding, not judgment.” The sketch shows both seated, engaged in dialogue.
Figure 7.1: This cartoon sketch illustrates how consultants can approach client games not with judgment, but with understanding. In the Consulting Zoo, resistance is often a form of adaptation—not defiance. Effective consulting requires empathy, not just analysis.

In the consulting zoo, you are not merely solving technical problems—you are navigating behavioral ecosystems. The games clients play are rarely malicious; they are adaptive responses to complexity, power, fear, and change. Below is an expanded guide for identifying and working with common patterns that emerge in these environments.

Pattern Recommended Approach
Pace Mismatch 🕰️ Introduce “rhythm contracts” that align tempo and depth. Decide together whether you’re building sprints or root systems. Ask: “Would you prefer fast and visible progress, or slower but lasting transformation?”
Shadow Influence 🕵️ Use stakeholder maps and visibility matrices to detect informal power. Ask: “Who influences outcomes, even if they’re not in the room?” Engage shadow players early—Raccoons, Snakes, and Foxes prefer backchannel trust.
Emotional Derailment 🌀 Translate emotion into business relevance. Name feelings, then link them to organizational risk: “You seem frustrated—what outcome might be in danger here?” Let emotional energy fuel, not derail, the work.
Power Dynamics 👑 Secure permission to explore “unspoken contracts.” Use phrases like: “Would it be helpful to explore what we’re not saying that might shape this work?” This brings Snakes and Tigers into the light.
Conflict Avoidance 🫥 Use metaphor and safe proxies. Ask, “What would the Owl say?” or “If we were being completely honest like a Giraffe, what might we name?” Create narrative distance so truth can emerge safely.
Dependency Framing 🐶 Beware of excessive gratitude and requests for hand-holding. Say, “It’s great you trust the process—now where would you like to start taking the lead?” Frame independence as a milestone.
Facade of Agreement 😐 Detect false harmony by watching body language and what isn’t said. Ask: “Are we nodding yes, or meaning yes?” or “If there were an unspoken no in the room, what would it be?”
Ambiguity Weaponized 🌫️ When ambiguity is used to delay, defer, or protect turf, bring contrast. Use polarity questions like: “On a scale from clarity to confusion, where are we?” or “What would total clarity look like right now?”
Data as Armor 📊 When clients hide behind dashboards, charts, or “just one more analysis,” return to purpose: “What decision are we avoiding by analyzing this again?” Ask: “Is this helping us choose, or helping us postpone?”
Premature Solutioning 🧪 When clients jump to tech or process before framing the real problem, slow them down with a question: “If this works exactly as planned, what deeper issue might remain untouched?”
Savior Seeking 🧑‍🚒 When the consultant is cast as the rescuer, redirect the energy: “I can partner with you, but not do it for you. Where are you already strong, and where do you need reinforcement?”
Saboteur in Sheep’s Clothing 🐑 + 🐍 When a participant nods politely but blocks subtly, name the behavior neutrally: “You’ve raised some great questions—are they rooted in curiosity, concern, or challenge?” This invites honest repositioning.
Busyness Theater 🎭 When output trumps outcome, create a pause: “If we paused all effort for 2 weeks, what would break?” or “What’s the difference between movement and momentum here?” Highlight purpose over productivity.

7.1 Common Tools Across Patterns

  • Metaphoric Detours: Animal archetypes, storytelling, polarity mapping
  • Micro-contracting: Explicitly agree on tone, ownership, and rhythm in real-time
  • Power + Safety Balancing: Create space for challenge and compassion
  • Feedback Surfacing: Regularly ask: “What’s not working that we haven’t said yet?”

7.2 Key Mindsets for the Consultant

  • Curiosity over Control – Watch the game without trying to stop it immediately.
  • Invitation over Imposition – Ask if the group is ready to name or shift something.
  • Structure over Emotion – Don’t suppress emotion—wrap it in ritual and reflection.
  • Shared Ownership over Heroism – You are not there to fix. You are there to enable.

7.3 Final Thought: The Zoo Doesn’t Lie

Behavior is never random. Every game, every pause, every smile-that-avoids is an artifact of something deeper. The most powerful move you can make as a consultant is not to resist the game—but to understand its function, name its pattern, and gently offer a more courageous alternative.

Let the Zoo teach you. Then help it evolve.