Written by Pierre-Laurent (PILO) Verdon  

A long time ago, I was a young consultant working with a distributor in Europe. The main sponsor at my client’s was brilliant. More than a client, I saw him as a true leader (he was a relatively new supervisor back then, he is the CEO of a major tech company now). He had a significant transformation to lead on behalf of his organization. Still today, I consider this person as one of the best leaders I’ve ever worked for. 

At some point, during this project, he went away for a summer break. The way he came back was fascinating. He said he had a lot of time to think while watching the ocean on the beach. And he said: “I saw it. I drew it. I knew it was the right way to go”. On the beach, while being in a completely different context and not specifically thinking about work, his vision had become clear. Somehow, it materialised in a striking visual dashboard which was linking everything together. I remember he had drawn the dashboard on a piece of paper and it was making sense, uniting all the things we were doing towards one direction. I could not understand all the details of his vision but, seeing his energy, I knew we just needed to follow him. His energy was inspiring and contagious.

At Leadership Paradox, one of the paradoxes we cover is: “Today or Tomorrow?” We discuss the tension between the need for results now (execution) vs the need to understand the direction (vision). In that context we invite clients to explore their ability to zoom in and zoom out.

And zooming out is an essential quality for a leader. Without it, we risk leading in the wrong direction, getting caught up emotionally, focusing on the wrong priorities, and pouring resources into things that don’t serve the bigger picture.

How do you zoom out?

• By leaving work behind: leaving for the WE or going on vacation, exploring a new environment, practicing a different activity, making your body work, giving yourself time and space with moments of quiet. Allowing your brain to work in the background. This produces incredible results.

• By daydreaming your vision 1 year from now: projecting your team, your work, yourself 1 year from now. Day dreaming and / or taking a piece of paper to draw how things will look like one year from now. Without limiting yourself, what do you want to see happen in 1 year from now? How different is it from now? What is happening in the future? Who is with you? You can even dream details to make it even more real (e.g. if you imagine yourself at lunch with your team, feel the taste of the food in your mouth, make it real)! 

• By practicing daily: since it’s not always possible to leave work behind or spend time daydreaming, there are simple, repeatable ways to integrate zooming out into your daily rhythm. Each one can decide what works the best for them. Some people take a few minutes for meditation or prayer. Others use our quick tool “The STOP Moment” (see the video here English / French). Some other people enjoy journaling: writing every day about 2 pages as a way to dump all their thoughts and feelings on paper. Some people enjoy walking in nature (I have a client who “walks his day” in the morning) or go for a run. All these examples are opportunities to zoom out and see the bigger picture. 

Zooming out is not a luxury. It’s a leadership necessity. Without it, we risk pouring time, energy, and resources into the wrong priorities. But zooming out alone is not enough. Vision without action is just fantasy. The real art of leadership lies in dancing between the two: zooming out to see clearly, then zooming in to act decisively.

This isn’t just a mental exercise. It’s a practice that calls for your whole self: body, emotions, energy, and spirit. Leading with vision means making space for silence, reflection, and presence. So pause. Step back. Tend to your deeper needs. That’s often where true clarity begins.

This is the dance we invite our clients to explore - between today and tomorrow, between action and insight.