Olivia: Here’s a number that should probably keep some executives up at night. Research cited in a Harvard Business Review collection found that only 14% of organizations claimed their employees had a clear understanding of the company’s strategy and direction. Jackson: Wow. Only fourteen percent? That’s… staggeringly low. It honestly explains so many meetings I’ve been in that felt completely disconnected from reality. We’re all just rowing, but most of us have no idea which way the boat is supposed to be pointing. Olivia: Exactly. We’re all busy, we’re all hitting our targets, but are we contributing to the right thing? That massive disconnect is the central problem today's book tries to solve. We're diving into the HBR Guide to Thinking Strategically, published by Harvard Business Review. Jackson: Ah, an HBR guide. I know these. They’re famous for being these super practical, almost pocket-sized toolkits for managers. This one came out in 2019, right? It’s not one single author but a collection of articles from different experts. Olivia: That's right. It’s a curated anthology. The idea is to give you a multi-faceted view on one big topic. And the reception reflects that. It's widely praised by managers who want actionable advice, but it's also gotten some criticism. Jackson: I’ve seen some of that. A few readers feel it’s a bit surface-level, more of a collection of reminders than a deep, cohesive framework. One reviewer even called it a "corporate manipulation master class," which is… a strong take. Olivia: A very strong take. And we can definitely get into that. But to understand its value, the book opens with a story that perfectly captures the personal, painful cost of being in that 86% of people who are just rowing without a map.

Jackson: Okay, I’m intrigued. What’s the story? Olivia: The book calls it "The Promotion That Never Came." It describes a manager who is, by all accounts, a star performer. They consistently hit their team’s goals, their performance reviews are glowing, they even take on extra work to help out their boss and colleagues. They are the model employee. Jackson: I know this person. I think we all know this person. They’re the one you can always count on. Olivia: Precisely. So, during a performance review, this manager makes their case for a promotion. They lay out all their accomplishments, the goals they’ve crushed, the fires they’ve put out. They’ve done everything right. And their boss listens patiently, nods, and then delivers this absolutely soul-crushing line. Jackson: Oh no. I’m bracing myself. Olivia: The boss says, "I appreciate all your good work. But before we can consider you for a new position, you need to learn to think strategically." Jackson: Oof. That is brutal. It’s like being told you’re a fantastic builder, but you have no idea what an architect does. And it’s so vague! What does "think strategically" even mean in that context? It sounds like a polite way of saying 'no' without giving a real reason. Olivia: That’s the core of the frustration, and the book tackles it head-on. It defines strategic thinking as analyzing opportunities and problems from a broad perspective. It’s about understanding the potential impact your actions might have on the future of the organization, your team, or the bottom line. Jackson: So it’s about connecting the dots between your daily tasks and the company’s grand plan. Olivia: You’ve got it. The strategic thinker isn't just asking "How do I complete this task?" They're asking "Why does this task matter? Who else does this affect? What trend is this a part of? How does this move us closer to our big-picture goals?" Jackson: Okay, but hold on. If only 14% of people in a company understand the strategy, doesn't that feel more like a failure of leadership communication than a failure of the individual employee? Is it really the manager's fault they have this blind spot? Olivia: That’s a fantastic and fair challenge. The book acknowledges that many companies are terrible at communicating their strategy. There’s a huge disconnect. But the perspective this guide takes is one of empowerment. It essentially argues that waiting for your leaders to perfectly explain everything is a losing game. The most valuable professionals are the ones who take it upon themselves to seek out that understanding. They build their own map instead of waiting for one to be handed to them. Jackson: I can see that. It’s about taking ownership of your own perspective. You can either be a pawn who only knows their next move, or you can try to see the whole chessboard. Olivia: That’s a perfect analogy. And it’s not just about your own career. This same skill—or lack thereof—has massive consequences when you look at the people who are already in charge.

Jackson: Right, because if the person who got denied the promotion eventually becomes a leader but never learns that skill, they’re just going to perpetuate the problem. Olivia: Exactly. And that leads us to the second core idea from the book, which is this brilliant framework of "zooming in" and "zooming out." Jackson: Give me the simple version. What’s the difference? Olivia: "Zooming in" is focusing on the details, the immediate tasks, the internal operations, the nitty-gritty. It’s essential for execution. "Zooming out" is seeing the big picture—the market, the competition, the long-term trends, the overall strategy. A great leader has to be able to do both, like a cinematographer who can switch from a close-up to a wide shot. The problem is when leaders get stuck in one mode. Jackson: And I’m guessing most get stuck zoomed in. They get lost in the weeds. Olivia: Terribly lost. The book gives these incredible, almost cinematic examples of what happens when leaders can't zoom out. There’s one story about a leader named Lee, who ran a prosperous firm. His leadership style was entirely personal. He operated on a system of favors. Jackson: What do you mean, favors? Olivia: Instead of having clear, consistent policies, he’d make private deals. He’d grant special vacation privileges to one person, off-calendar budget money to another, extended family leave to a favorite. The book’s quote is that his organization ran on the principle of "Do it for me." Jackson: That sounds less like a company and more like a medieval court, with a king granting boons to his loyal subjects. Olivia: It’s a perfect description. And it worked, for a while, because the company was doing well. But as soon as they faced real competition and regulatory pressure, the whole thing rotted from the inside. Junior employees saw the favoritism and their morale plummeted. There were no clear rules, just the whims of the leader. His successor had to come in and "zoom out," establishing formal, transparent policies for everyone. Jackson: Wow. That’s a powerful cautionary tale. It shows how a leader’s personal style, their inability to see the systemic effect of their actions, can create a toxic culture. Olivia: And it gets even more dramatic. There's another quick story about a CEO of a tech company. He was known as a great strategist, but he was also easily offended. A prominent magazine wrote a profile of him that he didn't like. It wasn't even a hit piece, he just didn't like the portrayal. Jackson: Let me guess. He wrote a strongly worded letter? Olivia: He did something far more "zoomed in." He pulled all of his company's advertising from that magazine. A major business decision, driven entirely by his hurt feelings. Jackson: That's insane! And the message that sends to his employees must have been terrifying. "Don't you dare bring me bad news or say something I don't like." You create a culture of fear. Olivia: Precisely. The book uses these stories to make a critical point. One of the biggest traps of zooming in too much is that, and I'm quoting here, "policies and systems are based on internal politics." Your world becomes so small that decisions are about personal slights, status, and relationships, not about the health of the organization.

Jackson: So when you put these two ideas together, it’s a really powerful framework. As an employee, if you stay zoomed in and never learn to see the bigger strategic picture, your career is likely to hit a ceiling. You’ll never get that promotion. Olivia: Right. You’re stuck being a great tactician but never seen as a strategist. Jackson: But then, as a leader, if you are pathologically stuck zoomed in, you don't just stall your own career—you can actively damage the entire organization. You create a culture of politics, fear, and favoritism. Olivia: Exactly. The health of the whole system, from the individual contributor to the CEO, depends on this ability to shift perspective. And that brings us back to that critique you mentioned earlier, about the book being a "corporate manipulation master class." Jackson: Yeah, what’s the verdict on that? Olivia: I think the book’s ultimate message is actually the opposite of manipulation. It’s about transparency and discipline. It argues that strategic thinking isn't some mystical gift that only a few chosen ones possess. It's a learnable skill. It’s the discipline of constantly asking "why" and "what if" and "so what?" Jackson: So it’s less about manipulating others and more about mastering your own perspective. Olivia: That’s the core of it. It’s about developing the habit of connecting your actions to a larger purpose. And that’s a fundamentally empowering idea, whether you're an intern trying to make an impact or a CEO trying not to run your company into the ground over a bad magazine article. Jackson: That makes a lot of sense. So for our listeners who feel like that manager in the story, or who just want to start building this muscle, what’s one practical thing they can do tomorrow? Olivia: The book is full of exercises, but here’s a simple one. Find your company's most recent annual report or public strategic plan. You don't have to read the whole thing. Just read the first few pages, the letter from the CEO or the executive summary. Then, look at your calendar for the week and ask yourself one question: "What is the one thing I'm doing this week that most directly supports that vision?" Jackson: I love that. It’s a small action that forces you to zoom out, even for just five minutes. It’s the first step to building your own map. Olivia: It is. And we’d love to hear from our listeners. Have you ever had a "promotion that never came" moment? Or have you seen a leader who was brilliantly zoomed in or disastrously zoomed out? Share your stories with us. Jackson: It’s a skill we all need to cultivate, whether we’re leading a team or just leading ourselves. Olivia: This is Aibrary, signing off.