“I have thought about it. I don’t think I need to focus on this now. This project can wait.” 

“My company is earning profits. Why bother about transformation?” 

“I have a plan for my business. I just need good people to execute my plan.” 

Sounds familiar?

In my working with close to 200 global chairman, leaders, owners and senior leaders  – I have found that those successful are the ones who recognise and deal proactively with ‘Leadership Tunnel Vision’ 

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What is tunnel vision in leadership?

When faced with a decision, people tend to focus on readily available information, overlooking the possibility of missing data. Instead of considering the potential gaps in information, they rely on the most salient details stored in their memory. 

Tunnel vision, a narrow perspective that ignores the bigger picture. It can impact leaders by leading them to excessively focus on a specific pointers and interpret all information through that narrow lens. Consequently, the leader may become fixated on one idea, dismissing all others. 

When you have tunnel vision, evidence is undervalued while information supporting the chosen idea receives more attention (selective bias!) . This inherent “tunnel vision” undermines the rationality of our daily decision-making processes often pushing leaders to make easy and comfortable choices for their business, instead of the right ones. 

As far as leadership and management are concerned, tunnel vision is not being able to see the bigger picture.

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There can be many reasons for that, but the main one is usually this: We are so confident that the decisions we’ve made and the results we’re focused on is right that we’re not able to accept there might be better alternative ways of achieving our goal.   

This isn’t a very uncommon thing. It happens to all of us – me including, despite my knowledge. But, here is the deal. Knowledge doesn’t help unless I raise my awareness in those moments when my unconscious urge to auto-pilot me when it is really tough, uncertain, and all I see ahead is non-guaranteed path! 

In a meeting with a client who has drafted his 10-year family business vision with us, I often struggle to get them to own their vision. Owning the vision is where most leaders default. They either make an easy vision so that owning is not a problem, or they make a beautiful vision but take years and more to simply own it! 

In both cases, the vision is far from getting manifested.

Tunnel vision has also been one of the core reasons why many companies in our country have either stagnated or growing at a comfortable rate (which is way lesser than their true potential).  

Tunnel vision can be avoided in many ways but the primary of all the ways is to not close your eyes to what your known knowledge is saying for changing realities outside.  

Tunnel vision may force us to get utterly disoriented before ultimately admitting defeat. Instead, perhaps we should be gentler with ourselves and our businesses.

Pay greater attention to the first symptoms of indecision behind the wheel, and not let your tunnel vision impact the present & future of your family business.

One antidote from awareness standpoint if I can share with you and I suggest my clients to think about it is this:  

..If you have envisioned a future which you have never seen or accomplished before. ..If you have used your strongest of intuitions and callings to make your draw that end picture. 

..If that picture is something you believe is totally worth it.  

..If you believe that it’s the picture that defines you then—bring you awareness before you take any step to manifestation to the fact that your answers are in the questions you never asked before.  

Second, you ought to suspend your attention hovering in your head inside the ‘I know’ zone.  

That is your existing knowledge bank in your head. Gently, suggest yourself in inviting curiosity that the picture of future needs be seen not from the pictures of past achievements and glory.  

A future is a future and it is not yet known. The ‘I know’ zone of yours have all experiences, data, knowledge, what works, what don’t, all of it and everything from your past. 

The future though needs to be seen from the ‘I don’t know’ zone.  

Now this exactly makes many leaders nervous. A lot makes them uncomfortable if they are to face ‘I don’t know what to think? How to think? What to look for? How to see it? How to reach from here to there? It is easily expected from an industry leader who may have lived 25 years in business, to get really uncomfortable at the notion that how come I don’t know?  

It becomes self-image issue.  

..An ego issue.  

..An I know all issue.  

…If not me then none issue.  

..I can do it all issue.  

..I ain’t learning anything new, I have all I need to know. 

..and so on. 

Only self-love and compassion in them will invite needed humility where they accept in the awareness that yes! I need to think from the zone called ‘I don’t know’. When they accept that it is the unthinkable they get their handle on to think correct. Light emerges to them. They are out of the tunnel they were in.  

They are ready to absorb much more light then they ever imagined. More crucially, the fun and growth they are seeing in them due to accepting and venturing consciously into the I don’t know zone is totally worth a star. 

Your real vision breakthrough will come when you make a decision with grace that you are to operate from a completely unknown zone, that will help you to unfold venturing in the unknowns of future to know it really well.  

Create your vision breakthrough with a practitioner coach who can help you stay away from gravity of ‘I know’ zone. 

You ought to be vulnerable so that you can be honourable to your mission. 

Think about it! 

See if the below approach make sense to you to avoid your tunnel vision: 

1. Know that your future requires you to lead into the unknown. Understand this that you cannot lead into the unknown from what you know. Get excited for what might you find, discover, learn, and win. Use curiosity not for new knowledge as much for experiencing the uncomfortable doings.
2. Create your vision breakthroughs by thinking from the unthinkable, use scenarios, use imaginations, use faith. Apply lateral, creative, & spiritual thinking to find deeper clarity into what your vision aims to create, solve, and how you would become the ‘new’ you in its pursuit.  
3. Realise that the pulse your attention goes away from what you know to what you don’t know there are those moments when self-doubt and indecision of yours join with the absence of guarantees that the labor of creating newer reality demands. These moments are real personal growth opportunities. In these moments you will practice self-trust, at best.
4. The more you practice self-trust in real-time moments of such vulnerability, the better you get at breaking-through the tunnel. It’s simple (not saying its easy) – A higher self-trust brings your focus from the quivering mind dying to find safety and guarantee of success (which is biggest BS. mind will throw at you to negotiate you don’t listen to your free spirit); to the indomitable spirit which knows exactly why you believe your super expanded vision as nothing but your real home. 
5. Enjoy the process and trust its ruggedness. It is only keeping you awake so that you don’t sleep-walk your life again. Be you and make most of breakthroughs after breakthrough. Remember, the big aspect of growth in life is growing-up as an individual.  

You are well away from tunnel vision if you absorb the above and practice believing in it. 

See if it works for you. 

If so, spread the word and help others.  

Maybe you can consider your next generation to learn the above.