How are you using your strategic sightine?

Annoying distraction is everywhere. And without even realising it, we slip into autopilot. Maybe you don’t… but you know the vibe.
 

You’re pulled in a dozen directions. You’re visible. You’re responsive. But are you actually present? Or just firefighting, tab-flipping, and reacting on repeat?
 

It’s not on you. Most organisations are built for busyness, not clarity. We end up doing mental gymnastics just to keep up.
 

And the cost? We lose access to one of the most powerful leadership tools we have.

The Strategic Sightline is your mental vantage point as a leader. It’s what helps you lift your gaze from the daily noise (under your nose) and see the full sweep of your leadership landscape.
 

It’s not just about what’s right in front of you, it’s about how you orient yourself:
 

Reflect. Mine the past for insight, recognise the patterns, and carry forward the lessons that lead to better decisions.

Engage. Be fully present in the here and now. Eliminate roadblocks and be operationally brilliant

Imagine. Look ahead with intention, spot opportunities, take risks, be curious and brave

When your Strategic Sightline is clear, you lead with context. You respond rather than react. You make decisions that are anchored in wisdom, attuned to the moment, and aligned with where you're going. What a breath of fresh air!
 

When I do this exercise with leadership teams it tends to look a bit like this… 

Past – reviewing results, extracting lessons (30%)

Present – managing operations, creating effective process, being productive (60%)
Future – strategic thinking (10%)
 

Great for brilliant ops, which are really important. Not so flash on the leadership front though, because it’s hard to be flash at something you’re not doing.
 

The 60% in the present makes good sense. It reflects operational responsibilities. The 30% in the past? Reviews, and the weight of what’s been going on in the world make that seem reasonable. But having 10% allocated to the future? That’s a wake-up call.
 

The frustrations sound like ‘I feel like I’m treading water’, and ‘we have exciting targets, but no idea how to get there’. Or just ‘I’m exhausted, and pretty sick of this…’.
 

So, let me throw this your way:
How are you currently dividing your leadership energy?

• Are you deliberately choosing how much time you spend thinking back, in the now, and looking ahead?

• And if you spent more time in leadership mode looking to the future, where would a shift in focus create the biggest momentum for you and your team?