Varifocal Leadership: Why Your Strategy Needs Reading Glasses

Ian Banner teams up with Erik Hansen from Seattle and Maria MacCloud from New York to tackle one of the most costly leadership challenges in the knowledge economy: the inability to switch between tactical execution and strategic vision seamlessly. Drawing from real-world examples of decision paralysis and organisational dysfunction, they explore why most leaders excel at either firefighting or long-term planning, but rarely both simultaneously. Eric shares insights about how Scrum methodology can build "varifocal" thinking into team DNA, while Maria introduces the powerful OODA loop framework for faster organisational orientation. Ian reveals his personal journey from tactical firefighter to strategic thinker, including the uncomfortable realisation that he might have let some fires burn just to look heroic. Together, they unpack the warning signs of temporal misalignment, the art of "reading the room's timeframe," and practical techniques for building what they call "bifocal teams" that can execute brilliantly whilst maintaining strategic context. Whether you're struggling with endless prioritisation debates, watching brilliant teams argue past each other, or trying to connect daily execution with quarterly objectives, this conversation provides actionable frameworks for developing temporal intelligence. Click the audio link to discover which timeframe you default to and learn how to build the competitive advantage of "bifocal leadership."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to VariFocal Leadership

02:52 The Tension Between Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

05:58 The Importance of Team Collaboration

09:01 Reading the Moment: Understanding Context

11:51 Utilising Scrum for Focal Leadership

14:49 The OODA Loop and Its Relevance

18:06 Empowering Teams to Be Very Focal

20:46 Wrap-Up and Key Takeaways

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