This month I am bringing you a simple message, and a valuable link.

The message
Imagine buying a camera and discovering that you can’t adjust the zoom lens. Or you are searching a location and your browser doesn’t let you zoom in or out on the map. Frustrating right? More importantly you would be limited in what you could do. Because one view doesn’t give you enough of what you need.

We are used to hearing that leaders are uniquely able to see the big picture; the metaview. Your people count on you to remind them of it, to navigate with it in mind and to infuse the work with a sense of purpose that emerges out of that big picture view. All true and not enough!

This month, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, in the March 2011 Harvard Business Review makes a simple yet critical point. Leaders actually need to be agile and know when to zoom in and when to zoom out.

“A close-in perspective is often found in relationship-intensive settings. It brings details into sharp focus and makes opportunities look large and compelling. But it can have significant downsides. Leaders who prefer to zoom in tend to create policies and systems that depend too much on politics and favors. They can focus too closely on personal status and on turf protection. And they often miss the big picture. When leaders zoom out, they can see events in context and as examples of general trends. They are able to make decisions based on principles. Yet a far-out perspective also has traps. Leaders can be so high above the fray that they don’t recognize emerging threats. Having zoomed out to examine all possible routes, they may fail to notice when the moment is right for action on one path. They may also seem too remote and aloof to their staffs”

The link:
The article is entitled, “Zoom In, Zoom Out.” It runs 5 printed pages in length.

How agile are you?