Remember the last time you had a brilliant insight about your business? It probably didn't happen while answering emails. In this episode, Jake reveals how getting caught in the daily operational grind leads to burnout and stagnation - and shares his simple 5-minute "Zoom Out" exercise that can transform your leadership perspective.
You'll learn:
- Why being stuck in "ground-level leadership" keeps your business frozen in place
- The three powerful questions that reveal your true priorities
- How physically changing your environment changes your mental state
- A practical weekly ritual to reclaim your role as a strategic leader
Plus, Jake shares candid stories about his own leadership mistakes - from implementing unnecessary systems to missing the forest for the trees in restaurant operations.
Try the Friction Finder Quiz: foundrysolutions.com/frictionfinder
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Harvard professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter's research on "zooming in and zooming out".
- The 5-minute "Zoom Out" exercise (paper, three questions, new location)
- Jake's Monday morning garage workbench ritual
CITATION:
Kanter, R. M. (2011). "Zoom In, Zoom Out." Harvard Business Review, 89(3), 112-116.
Link to article: https://hbr.org/2011/03/managing-yourself-zoom-in-zoom-out
In this article, Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter introduces the concept of "zooming in and zooming out" as a critical leadership ability. She explains how effective leaders must be able to shift between detailed focus (zoom in) and big-picture thinking (zoom out), rather than remaining fixed in one perspective. This approach helps leaders make better strategic decisions by seeing both the forest and the trees.
