Expanding Your Operating Range: The Power of Flying High and Low

When we think about traits of successful leaders we often classify them as “highly strategic” or “highly operational.” We celebrate those with “visionary thinking” or those with “detail orientation.” We all have our sweet spots as leaders: the capabilities that come to us more naturally. But in my experience, the most admirable leadership capability is the ability to alternate between flying high and flying low depending on the situation in order to achieve positive outcome.  I call this important skill “operating range.”

When we develop our operating range, we are simultaneously developing our judgement – to assess what is happening – and our flexibility – to respond to what needs to happen next. Sometimes to come to a solution, we need to pull back and elevate ourselves to gain perspective on a situation or a problem. For example, finding new investors and selling your vision to acquire funding requires high-level oversight and strategy.

Other times it’s impossible to diagnose or solve a problem without ruthlessly understanding it in great detail. While tedious, making progress may require solving very tactical tasks directly. For example, when there is a product quality issue that is hard to diagnose and fix, but it threatens your customer experience and sales, understanding the minutia in the moving parts is essential. 

As a leader, flying high AND low is one of your most valuable capabilities. Being able to see the forest and the trees (with bifocals, if you will) is exceptionally powerful. Task yourself with exercising these muscles and you can become an even more effective leader any situation.