Insights on Leadership

"Zoom In" vs "Zoom Out": Why the Future Belongs to Leaders Who Can Do Both Every week with clients and colleagues I find myself in conversations that echo the same underlying tension: should we hire the deep expert or the versatile generalist? A recent viral image (above) simplifies the question beautifully. Specialists zoom in. Generalists zoom out. Each sees what the other misses. And yet, in a world transformed by AI, automation, and accelerating complexity, the real question isn't either-or. It's how do we blend both? In boardrooms and executive searches alike, we’re seeing a new breed of leader emerge—someone who can toggle between altitude levels. These "hybrid thinkers" may have started as specialists, but they’ve developed a strategic muscle to pan out, connect dots, and orchestrate across domains. Or they’re generalists who’ve learned when to dive deep with credibility. Here’s the paradox: 🔹 AI is making domain expertise more accessible than ever. Need to understand a niche technical process? A well-crafted prompt might do the job. 🔹 But judgment—knowing when to zoom in or out—is becoming the rarest and most valuable skill. This viral cartoon doesn’t just depict a career choice. It illustrates a leadership imperative. The future will belong to those who can integrate depth with breadth, granularity with perspective, focus with synthesis. As we advise boards and build leadership teams, this is the lens we keep returning to. Because in the age of AI, it’s not just about what you know—it’s about how you see 🙂

Expertise can hurt leaders. I’ve met leaders who are brilliant in their domains. They know the playbook inside out and can almost instinctively predict what they’re supposed to do next. But they’re so confident in what worked that they fail to see what’s changing. Sector knowledge helps, but only up to a point. The higher you go, the less your technical depth matters. What starts to matter more is your ability to connect the dots across industries, disciplines, contexts and trends. That’s where real innovation comes from. - Leena Nair moved from Unilever to CHANEL. No fashion background.  - Alan Mulally went from Boeing to Ford. No auto experience.  - Angela Ahrendts led Burberry, and later joined Apple. These leaders brought fresh ideas, a fresh set of eyes and fresh questions. Have you sat in a room where the most experienced person was also the most closed? No curiosity. No listening. Did you see new ideas die, not because they were weak, but because nobody had the patience to hear them? Have you been told by the expert leader “but our industry is different,” and felt embarrassed for looking silly? It’s good to know your stuff. Until that very expertise becomes the trap that keeps you on autopilot and away from innovation. Expertise is a good foundation. But as we all know, leadership is about much, much more…..   #leadership #expertise #beyondtheplaybook    

Leadership matters. This maxim is always true, but never more than when an organization is confronting the volatility and uncertainty from disruption. In our 6th annual AlixPartners Disruption Index, those companies that are performing best have leaders that are pushing their organizations to do more at greater speed. A subset of companies within our study—about 7% of the total—are leading their industries in both revenue and profit growth. These are the superstars within their industries, best able to confront the challenges from disruption and seize its opportunities. The leaders of these companies are asking more from their teams and are more frustrated when they encounter organizational inertia. These best-performing companies are 27 percentage points more likely to expect their business models to change significantly over the next 12 months (65% vs. 38% of everyone else). Almost unanimously (96%), they expect to make transformational or material acquisitions over the next 12 months, and they are more likely to be shifting their manufacturing and supplier footprint due to geopolitical concerns. They worry more about the future of their organizations and their personal ability to meet the challenges they face. However, these leaders are also more confident. Seventy-five percent are “extremely optimistic” about the impact of AI on their company (compared to 30% of everyone else), and they are much more likely to be leaning into their digital investments. They are more likely to say that productivity among their employees is rising and that their organizational culture is a competitive advantage in the face of disruption. The pace of change is increasing. The impact from an interconnected web of disruptions is expanding. A productivity revolution is emerging. Tomorrow’s leaders will be those that position themselves for these opportunities today. Read more in the 2025 AlixPartners Disruption Index: https://lnkd.in/e_TyXrBw

Exceptional performance should never require a trail of burnout in its wake. And this, unfortunately, has become normalised in a lot of workplaces that measure commitment by exhaustion rather than results. Many have got leadership fundamentally wrong, thinking it's about projecting invulnerability and omniscience. When leaders present themselves as superhuman – never tired and always available – they create impossible standards that ripple throughout their organisations. When leaders glorify late nights and weekend work, when they wear sleeplessness like a badge of honour, they aren't showcasing dedication – they're demonstrating a PROFOUND failure of leadership, confusing suffering with strategy. Your team reflects your example, and if you never admit limitations, they'll exhaust themselves. This relentless pressure transforms passion into resentment. The persistent anxiety about work during personal time doesn't enhance performance either: it sabotages it. True leadership involves showing what you don't do well, creating space for others to complement your limitations. It's about creating conditions where people can be both exceptional and whole. The most effective teams I've worked with don't celebrate burnout — they actively prevent it. They recognise that sustainable excellence requires sustainable humans. What vulnerability could you share tomorrow that might free your team from impossible expectations?

I spent 5 days with Richard Branson. It changed how I lead forever. Leadership advice is everywhere. But what actually works? And which leaders should we learn from? Earlier this year, I had the privilege to see Richard Branson’s leadership up close. Spending five days on Necker Island, I discovered it’s more than just a workplace - it’s a masterclass in leadership. Here’s what stood out: ✅ His team spoke passionately about their work. ✅ Every interaction was filled with joy. ✅ Branson jumped in, working hands-on alongside his team. ✅ People were encouraged to take risks and responsibility. ✅ It wasn’t just leadership principles - it was leadership in action. Here are the five strategies that made his approach unforgettable: 1/ Trust Your Team ↳ Let employees take ownership of meaningful tasks. ↳ Invest in skill development and reward initiative. ↳ Encourage open communication and calculated risk-taking. 2/ Lead by Example ↳ Stay visible and work alongside your team. ↳ Tackle challenges together and share personal lessons. 3/ Bring Joy to Everything You Do ↳ Start meetings with wins and celebrate milestones. ↳ Prioritise work-life balance and create a welcoming environment. 4/ Focus on Customer Experience ↳ Equip employees to solve problems on the spot. ↳ Recognise those who go the extra mile. ↳ Train teams to anticipate customer needs. 5/ Take Risks ↳ Make it safe for your team to fail. ↳ Support bold ideas and invest in experimentation. ↳ Celebrate lessons learned from mistakes. Since then, I’ve worked hard to put these strategies into place - trusting my team, bringing joy to our work, and creating an environment where risks are encouraged. 👇 If you had to pick one of these strategies to apply, what would it be? ♻️ Share this to help inspire leaders. 🔔 Follow me, Jen Blandos, for more business insights.

Most products, including Amazon products, struggle or fail. Odds are that the project you are working on right now is struggling. Here is how to lead yourself and your team through tough periods. Prime Video was a tiny, struggling offering for the first five years! As a Director at Amazon, I had to be both optimistic and realistic; I had to act urgently and have patience. Every day the Prime Video team worked as hard as it could to create something remarkable. But we had to be patient for *years* as the revenue crept up slowly, starting at just a few thousand dollars a day. The scale of our initial video sales would be completely laughable today. It took several years to reach a cumulative total of one million paying customers. Not a million a year, a month, or a week. Total. As a leader, you have to believe in a mission (optimism) and yet see where you really are (realism). Bezos knew that it took a long time to build new things. He often said that many companies give up to soon, and he is right about that. His rule, which I heard him say several times, was that he only would stop a project when the last high judgment leader working on it stopped believing. Harvard Business Review has identified five contrasting or opposing behaviors that exceptional leaders hold simultaneously. Leaders—how many do you have? The contradictory behaviors are: 1. Be Confident and Humble 2. Be Urgent and Patient 3. Be Compassionate and Demanding 4. Be Optimistic and Realistic 5. Create Freedom and Structure The idea is that the best leaders have the necessary range to embody these characteristics concurrently and to flex all of them as various situations require. It takes incredible self-awareness, poise, and mental energy to sustain these five pairs of contrasting traits at all times. Most leaders have natural strengths in some of these areas and weaknesses in others, but the top leaders work on developing all of these traits. Sue Bethanis and I write about these traits and on other necessary leadership characteristics in this week’s newsletter. This is "Part 2" of a newsletter we wrote a few weeks ago, covering the first three questions of Harvard’s "CEO Test." Today, we cover the final four. The questions are: 1. Can you develop a simple plan for your strategy? 2. Can you make the culture real and make it matter? 3. Can you build teams that are true teams? 4. Can you lead transformation? 5. Can you really listen? 6. Can you handle a crisis? 7. Can you master the inner game of leadership? Leaders—what contrasting or opposing behaviors do you manage gracefully? Which ones do you struggle with? Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/grBkbmXi Together, Sue and I teach Cracking the C-Suite. Our Spring cohort is already full, but I will link the signup for the next class in a comment below if you want to be notified for the future.

The leadership decision that changed everything for me? Learning to pause before deciding. Research shows leaders make up to 35,000 decisions daily. Your brain wasn't designed for this volume. But it can be trained. I see this especially with women leaders - pressured to decide quickly to prove competence. The cost? McKinsey found executives waste 37% of resources on poor choices made under pressure. When I work with senior women leaders, we start with one truth: Your brain on autopilot isn't your best leadership asset. Here's what happens when you bring mindfulness to your decisions: 1. Mental Noise Quiets Down → The constant chatter in your head calms → You hear yourself think clearly → The signals that matter become obvious → One healthcare executive told me: "I finally stopped second-guessing every choice" 2. Emotional Wisdom Grows → You notice feelings without being controlled by them → You respond rather than react → Your decisions come from clarity, not fear → A tech leader in our program reported: "I stopped making decisions from a place of proving myself" 3. Intuition Becomes Reliable → Your body's wisdom becomes accessible → You detect subtle signals others miss → Research shows mindful leaders make 29% more accurate intuitive judgments → A finance VP shared: "I can now tell the difference between fear and genuine caution" 4. Stress No Longer Drives Choices → Pressure doesn't cloud your thinking → You stay composed when stakes are high → Your team feels your steadiness → As one client put it: "My team now brings me real issues, not sanitized versions" Have you noticed how your best decisions rarely come when you're rushed or pressured? The women I coach aren't learning to decide slowly. They're learning to decide consciously. Try these practices: 1. Before high-stakes meetings, take three conscious breaths 2. Create a "decision journal" noting your state of mind when deciding 3. Schedule 10 minutes of quiet reflection before making important choices Your greatest leadership asset isn't your strategy. It's the quality of your presence in the moment of choice. What important decision are you facing that deserves your full presence? 📚 Explore practical decision frameworks in my book - The Conscious Choice 🔔 Follow Bhavna Toor for more research-backed wisdom on leading consciously 💬 DM me to learn how our leadership programs help women leaders make conscious choices that transform their impact

Being always available doesn’t make you a better leader. It just makes you more exhausted. And exhaustion is a terrible substitute for effectiveness! My new Forbes article explores a leadership trap that has become so normal we’ve stopped noticing its cost. Leaders answer messages late at night, jump into every meeting, and keep their calendars permanently open — believing that presence is the same as value. It feels supportive. It looks committed. But slowly, it erodes the very things leadership depends on: judgment, perspective, and the ability to think beyond the urgency of the moment. Availability culture took root during the pandemic, when connection blurred into compulsion. What began as helpful became habitual. Many leaders now measure themselves by response speed rather than the quality of thought they bring when they finally respond. The problem isn’t accessibility itself. It’s the absence of intentional distance. Without protected space to think, leaders end up reacting instead of leading. They confuse noise with impact, movement with progress, visibility with influence. Meanwhile, teams begin to rely on their leader for every decision, quietly losing their own confidence and autonomy. One of the most counterintuitive truths in leadership is that absence can be a form of presence. When leaders step back with purpose — not disengagement, but deliberate distance — they create room for others to rise. They give their teams the chance to develop judgment rather than outsource it. Boundaries aren’t barriers; they’re conditions for clarity. When leaders protect their own attention, they protect the organisation’s future. When they model restraint, the team learns that constant urgency is not a virtue. And when they return to the conversation rested and focused, they add far more value than an exhausted version of themselves ever could. If leadership feels increasingly reactive, stretched or noisy, this article might help you reclaim the space needed to lead with depth, not just availability. Link in the comments 🤓

My career had 2 pivotal turning points. The first was my coaching certification. It taught me the power of asking questions, of guiding rather than dictating. It's a humbling process – sometimes you know the answer, but the real magic lies in helping others discover it for themselves. This shift required patience, mindfulness, and a deeper understanding of myself and others. The second turning point was my time at London Business School. It taught me about the strategic role leaders play, challenging me to think beyond the day-to-day and embrace a truly visionary mindset. I learned about the importance of understanding the broader landscape, anticipating market trends, and building adaptable organizations. These experiences taught me that leadership isn't just about having the answers, it's about empowering others to find their own. It's about creating a culture of curiosity. P.S. – Have you ever experienced any pivotal moments that shaped your leadership style?

In the world of leadership, making tough calls is inevitable, especially in times of uncertainty. Effective decision-making is a critical skill that can make or break a leader's success. Here are some strategies that have proven effective in my journey and can help you navigate the most challenging decisions: 1. Adopt a Robust Framework - OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act): This framework encourages rapid assessment and adaptation to changing conditions. It helps leaders stay agile and responsive. - Decision Matrix: Evaluate options based on criteria such as impact, feasibility, and alignment with organizational goals. This structured approach ensures comprehensive evaluation. 2. Balance Data and Intuition - Data-Driven Insights: Leverage data analytics to inform your decisions. However, don’t underestimate the power of your intuition, honed through experience and deep understanding of your field. - Scenario Analysis: Develop and analyze multiple scenarios to prepare for various potential outcomes. This helps in making informed decisions even in uncertain environments. 3. Engage a Diverse Advisory Group - Diverse Perspectives: Surround yourself with advisors from different backgrounds and expertise. Their varied viewpoints can uncover blind spots and offer innovative solutions. - Collaborative Decision-Making: Involve your team in the decision-making process. Collaboration fosters buy-in and leverages collective intelligence. 4. Maintain Flexibility and Agility - Iterative Approach: Break down decisions into smaller, manageable parts. This allows for adjustments based on feedback and evolving circumstances. - Pivot When Necessary: Be prepared to pivot if the situation demands it. Flexibility is crucial in navigating the complexities of the business landscape. 5. Focus on Long-Term Vision - Alignment with Vision: Ensure that your decisions align with the long-term vision and strategic goals of your organization. This keeps you on the right track even when immediate circumstances are challenging. - Sustainable Solutions: Aim for decisions that provide long-term value rather than quick fixes. 6. Reflect and Learn - Post-Mortem Analysis: After major decisions, conduct a thorough analysis to understand what worked and what didn’t. This continuous learning loop improves future decision-making. - Celebrate Successes and Learn from Failures: Acknowledge and celebrate your successes, but also embrace failures as learning opportunities. What strategies have you found effective in making tough decisions? #Leadership #DecisionMaking #StrategicThinking #ValueCreation #Entrepreneurship #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #ConstructiveRebels