Focal Length

Leadership problems often disguise themselves in different ways. Too often, it’s a question of focal length. But, hardly anyone sees it that way.

Get too close and you start solving problems your team should be solving. You add control, meetings, check-ins. You become to bottleneck for everything. Get too far and you rely on vision decks and town halls.

You don’t find the right focal length by reading about it. You find it by testing the edges. Step in closer than feels comfortable and notice when your presence starts creating dependency. Then step back further than feels safe and watch whether alignment holds. You’ll need to pay attention to where momentum increases without confusion. That’s the balance you’re looking for.

As a leader, your real job is deciding what must stay sharp and what can blur. You cannot keep everything in focus, and trying to will exhaust you and your team. Be precise about the big picture. The destination. The constraints. The definition of good work. This is the wide frame, and it needs constant reinforcement because vision fades fast.

Zoom in only when necessary. When priorities collide. When speed starts eroding judgment. When teams optimise locally at the cost of the whole. Don’t step in to take over. Step in to reframe. Remind people what matters and what doesn’t.

Great leaders aren’t permanently hands-on or hands-off. They’re disciplined about adjusting their focal length as situations change. If you want to lead well in the future, learn to notice when the picture starts to blur, and have the courage to adjust before others even realise it has.