How leaders can focus on the big picture

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Every leader knows that they shouldn’t micromanage — even if some of us still do. But while we understand the downsides of micromanaging and taken action to avoid it, we still haven’t sufficiently embraced the upsides of not micromanaging.

The main upside is that leaders have more time to spend on what we call “micromanagement.” Time and effort spent on macromanagement enables leaders to be clear, decisive and disciplined on the big strategic questions the organization is facing.

So, what are these big strategic questions that leaders aren’t spending enough time on?

— Why the organization exists and what its purpose is.

— What it offers (and does not offer) its customers.

— What this produces for the business and for shareholders.

— How the people within the organization should behave.

I don’t know many leaders who would say they don’t think these questions are important. But I know many leaders who don’t spend enough time answering them.

Making time for such macro questions is not a luxury — it is a necessity. And is it not something that can be delegated or outsourced. Nor is it something that leaders should do only once a year. It needs to become part of their weekly routine.

OK, I MADE THE TIME. NOW WHAT?

Once you’ve set aside time on a regular basis to wrestle with these questions, how can you come up with the best possible answers — and refine those answers? Here are three tips from those I’ve seen do it well:

— MAKE CHOICES IN THE NEGATIVE: For everything you decide you want to do, articulate what that means you can’t do. This forces you to think through the consequences of choosing these options by thinking about what the trade-offs are for each choice you are making.

— PRETEND YOU HAVE NO MONEY: It’s often during times when organizations are running low on money that leaders describe themselves as at their most strategic. So pretend you’re cash-strapped — it will act as the ultimate constraint on your desire to choose everything.

— TALK TO THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS: These could be inside or outside your organization, but whoever they are, choose them because they are likely to disagree with you, challenge you or tell you something you don’t know. Being challenged and having new information may well change your answers; even if it does not, it will make your existing answers more robust.

Leaders might no longer be needed for the daily grind of managing the business and can instead use their time and effort for the true work of leadership. That is, they can think about the strategic rather than the tactical, focus on the future rather than the present. After all, isn’t that why they wanted to become leaders in the first place?