Leadership Requires a Change in Scale

Leadership many times requires a change in scale. Think about this: 

The observable universe stretches roughly 27 orders of magnitude larger than us, while the smallest theoretical scales reach about 35 orders of magnitude smaller.

We are each a little over 1 meter tall. Put that on the scale of the universe, and suddenly mountains look small. Earth itself becomes a small “pale blue dot.”

Early in my career at BASF, I began appreciating the incredible scope of size while using a microscope to examine thin layers of substrate material—looking for defects and the root causes of particulates within coatings. One sees things differently at that scale. 

Think about a small key. In your hand, it feels small. Zoom in with a microscope, and suddenly its surface becomes a landscape of valleys, ridges, and imperfections. Zoom out far enough, and the key disappears into the scale of the world around it. Leadership is similar.

Our problems can feel enormous when we are standing too close to them.

Great leaders learn when to zoom in, zoom out, and change perspective.

“Talk with people who make you see the world differently.”

Perspective changes everything.