28 September 2011
Successful Intentions Newsletter
Hi ,
Effective leaders zoom in and zoom out.
Zooming in brings the details into sharp focus. Zooming out is essential for big-picture decision-making. Are you a “zooming-in” or a “zooming-out” kind of manager?
Zooming-in managers look for immediate benefits and make ad hoc decisions. They favour one-on-one conversations over group meetings, they address details by doing whatever occurs to them, they look for quick fixes, and they prefer to contact someone they know rather than search more widely for expertise.
Zooming-out managers focus on vision. They ask questions about what will support the sustainability of the company and keep its values intact. They put things in context and stress principles. They map the whole territory before taking action. They see events as examples of general patterns rather than as personal incidents.
Insead professor Hermina Ibarra found there was a tendency for women to zoom in on relationship building, collaboration, and teamwork. While men were generally entrusted with big picture decisions and encouraged to zoom out.
How do you avoid the bias of being either a zoom-in or a zoom-out manager?
If you have a tendency to zoom in too much, ask yourself these questions to help you gain some perspective:
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What is the context? What matters most?
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What larger purpose is being served? What’s at stake for others?
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Why is the task or mission worthy of support?
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Will the circumstances recur? What policies or decision frameworks could be used?
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Does this fit the goal or destination? What else might be on the horizon?
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Are there other similar situations? What categories or groupings make sense?
If you prefer to zoom out, ask yourself these questions to help you appreciate the details:
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What actions does your theory suggest for this particular problem?
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Does a deviation challenge the model? How can the deviation be understood?
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Is there sufficient information to proceed in this instance? What are the costs of delay?
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Are there side roads or shortcuts?
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How is this affecting the people who must carry out the mission?
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What are the details that make things different? Which details matter?
, a failure to zoom may spell doom! Zooming in and out quickly is a dynamic capability that is the essence of great strategic thinking.
Keep your intentions clear,
Peter Webb
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