Tesla owner Elon Musk has an idea of building a civilisation on Mars through SpaceX. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has also entered the space race with Blue Origin. British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has joined them with Virgin Galactic, taking people beyond Earth. These are examples of leaders who use a telescope to develop their businesses.
A telescope enables us to see large objects that are far away as though they were closer. In leadership, a telescope enables leaders to look into the future. It helps them see major opportunities in the distance that other businesspeople may not be able to see because they do not have the same telescope. As a result, leaders with a telescope can move ahead and leave their competitors behind. A telescope enables leaders to see what others cannot see. It enables a leader to become visionary. Businesspeople who use a telescope may even appear to be creating the future itself.
The opposite of a telescope is a microscope. A microscope enables leaders to see something very small as though it were much larger and closer. It allows them to examine things in greater detail, break them down, and understand them more clearly. Leaders who use a microscope are particularly well suited to solving various problems within an organisation. A microscope enables business leaders to move from seeing a symptom to identifying the underlying problem. It can even help leaders uncover and solve the root causes of organisational problems. A microscope is particularly valuable for leaders who are struggling with problems that continually emerge within their organisations.
However, excessive use of a microscope can also make leaders blind to the bigger picture because they become too focused on the small things around them. Leaders may begin paying too much attention to issues that should not be major problems and eventually magnify them into something much bigger. A microscope can also make leaders blind to business opportunities. Even brilliant business ideas may never be implemented because leaders become too focused on all the potential problems surrounding those ideas.
How about you? Do you use the microscope more often than the telescope?
Thinker + Microscope = Overthink
If you are a Thinker with a strong capacity for rational thinking, a microscope can lead you to overthink everything. Overthinking can make it difficult for leaders to move forward because they continually see problems whenever they attempt to take the next step. Overthinking can constrain organisational growth. It can leave an organisation going nowhere—as though it were permanently parked in the basement. Overthinking can also make an organisation less adaptive to change. It can leave an organisation outdated, old-fashioned, and unable to keep pace with changing times. Overthinking can make people believe that they are the best, the smartest, the most intelligent, and superior in many other ways. It can make people reluctant to learn something new because they believe that what they have always done has already been proven to work. Overthinking can also make people dislike risk. Yet, risk is a good friend of opportunity.
Dreamer + Telescope = Overdream
If you are a Dreamer with a rich imagination, a telescope can multiply the power of your imagination. The telescope can lead you to overdream. Overdreaming can make it difficult for leaders to remain grounded because their ideas are constantly above the clouds. It can make leaders reluctant to accept criticism of their dreams. Overdreaming can create a positive outlook towards almost everything, but it can also make it difficult for leaders to decide which dream they should actually pursue. Overdreaming can make leaders blind to problems. It can also cause them to be perceived as inconsistent in their decisions. An organisation may fall into chaos when one new idea has not yet been properly implemented before it is replaced by another new idea. Overdreaming can therefore also leave an organisation going nowhere. It is like a ship sailing without a clear direction, continually changing course according to the leader's latest dream. Overdreaming can make leaders disregard risk and underestimate problems within the organisation.
Leaders Need Both
Ideally, leaders understand when to use the telescope and when to use the microscope in their leadership process. If you want to see opportunities, use the telescope. If you want to see problems, use the microscope. Remember this: “You need to use both wisely.”
You should not eliminate either the telescope or the microscope from your leadership. Both tools are necessary, but they need to be used at different times. Otherwise, your leadership may fail to create a positive impact on the organisation.
You might then ask: Do followers prefer leaders who use a telescope or a microscope?
Followers who want to strengthen their problem-solving capabilities are encouraged to learn from leaders who frequently use a microscope. In contrast, followers who want to develop their ability to identify opportunities can learn from leaders who use a telescope. However, followers should learn to use both, rather than relying on only one. Business success can only be achieved when people are capable of using both the telescope and the microscope throughout the business journey.
But what happens if followers always use the microscope, while their leader always uses the telescope? Or what about the opposite situation, where followers always use the telescope, while their leader always uses the microscope? Which is better when both choices are imperfect?
