The leadership discipline of creating distance

There are times when being close to a problem is exactly where we need to be.

We need to understand the detail, listen carefully, respond quickly and deal with what is directly in front of us. No organisation can operate effectively if everyone is standing at a distance discussing the view.

The difficulty begins when closeness becomes our only position.

Pressure and urgency can reduce our field of vision. We focus on the immediate decision, the difficult person, the missed target or the piece of work that needs fixing. Our thinking becomes faster, but not necessarily better. The closer we move towards the problem, the harder it becomes to see what surrounds it.

Creating distance is the ability to change our position before deciding what to do next.

The “me, here, now” problem

In Distancing, David Marquet and Michael Gillespie examine the effect of psychological distance on judgement.

Our usual perspective is personal and immediate. We experience the situation as ourselves, from where we are, at this moment. This is entirely natural, but it also leaves us vulnerable to our own fears, assumptions, loyalties and the need to protect how others see us.

A delayed project is no longer only a project problem. It becomes evidence that we may have failed. A challenging question from a colleague can feel like a challenge to our authority. A client enquiry can become work we cannot afford to lose, making it harder to ask whether the client actually understands what they need.

The problem and our identity can begin to merge.

1. Be someone else

Think of someone whose judgement you respect — a former colleague, a mentor, a coach or someone less emotionally invested in the outcome. What might this person notice about your situation?

Someone else may notice that you are making assumptions instead of asking questions, carrying responsibility that belongs to several people, or postponing a conversation that is already costing more than the discomfort of having it.

2. Be somewhere else

In leadership work we sometimes describe this as moving from the ground floor to the balcony. From the balcony you can see patterns: recurring problems, misaligned incentives, or missing clarity and authority.

3. Be sometime else

Imagine yourself six months from now, looking back at the decision you face today. What will still matter? What might not matter nearly as much as it feels now?

Bringing the outside in

Beth Comstock’s Imagine It Forward argues for inviting outsiders to question an organisation’s assumptions. Outsiders don’t need to know more — they need a different position from which to see.

What this asks of leaders

Ask what assumptions a decision rests on.
Invite someone outside the immediate team into an important conversation.
Examine the problem from the customer’s position.
Notice what has become normal that should concern you.
Imagine how today’s decision will look in six months or three years.
Notice whether urgency is being used to prevent questions.
Make time to work on the business as well as in it.

A tight throat, heavy chest or knot in the stomach may tell you something needs attention. They are data, not a verdict. Notice the signal, create space to examine it, then decide how to respond.