Sometimes the biggest obstacles to our success aren’t external challenges—they’re the invisible distractions that cloud our vision and keep us stuck.
In this episode, Gayle Lantz shares a personal experience with eye floaters that led to an interesting leadership metaphor. Just as physical floaters can obstruct our vision, we all have “floaters” in our professional lives—distractions, limiting beliefs, and patterns that prevent us from seeing clearly.
Using her CLEAR framework, Gayle provides a practical scorecard for leaders to assess their own vision and identify what might be obstructing their view.
* The CLEAR Scorecard is available to download as resource for leaders and their teams.
Whether it’s getting caught up in minor complaints instead of focusing on priorities, micromanaging instead of seeing the bigger picture, or reacting out of habit rather than responding with insight, these invisible barriers can significantly impact our leadership effectiveness.
As Gayle explains, “Sometimes the problem isn’t what’s in front of you, it’s what you’re choosing to focus on.”
The episode offers both personal vulnerability and practical tools, showing how leaders can shift their perspective and look beyond the distractions that seem permanent but may actually be within their control to address.
This episode covers:
- The CLEAR framework for assessing your leadership vision
- Common “floaters” that distract leaders from what matters most
- Distinguishing between urgent and important priorities
- The difference between reacting and responding with insight
- Shifting focus from problems to possibilities
- Why reflection is crucial for maintaining clear vision
- How to help your team see past collective distractions
The episode concludes with a powerful challenge: identify one thing that’s been obstructing your view and commit to seeing it differently or looking beyond it.
“It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau
LINKS:
🡪 CLEAR Scorecard – (pdf download)
Previous CEO on the Go Episodes:
Why Should People Work Here? Rethinking Talent with Steve Cadigan (#263)
Stuck in Leadership Limbo? How to Rise Above It (#262)
Leading Creatives: Your Secret Weapon to Driving Growth & Innovation with Vincent Wanga (#261)