Episode 425 - The 3 Lenses You Need to Look Through Each Day

In this episode, we explore The 3 Lenses Every Leader Needs Daily — People, Future, and Accountability. These leadership perspectives help you better manage your team, anticipate challenges, and take full ownership of your results.

Host: Paul Falavolito
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
performance through strong human relations, team building and gola GV.
This is the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Paul Fellavaledo.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
It's episode four twenty five and for this episode, I
want to give you something practical, visual, and immediately actionable.
It's called the three lenses you need to look through
each day. Every leader needs a system, a framework, a

(00:46):
mental checklist. This episode is about building that. It's about
training yourself to filter every situation, every problem, and every
opportunity through three distinct lenses so that you never miss
what matters and never get blindsided by what's coming. So

(01:07):
let's dive right into it. Lens number one is the
people lens. Question how are my people doing right now?
Every morning, before you open your inbox or check the numbers,
look through the people lens because leadership starts with people

(01:27):
and it ends with people, and too often we get
caught up in metrics, deadlines, and pressure, and when that happens,
we miss the quiet cues, the signs that someone's burning out, disengaging,
or walking out the door. Mentally, the people lens reminds
you that morale is not a luxury, it's oxygen. Culture

(01:52):
is not soft it's the thing that drives performance, loyalty,
and retention. So take a few minutes each day to
ask who haven't I checked in on, who's unusually quiet,
who's crushing it and needs to hear that from me?
This lens forces empathy, It builds connection, and it reminds

(02:14):
you that even in a high pressure job, you're still
leading human beings, not a headcount. Lens two is the
future lens. Here's the question, what does this decision look
like six months from now? This one keeps you from
playing checkers when you need to be playing chess. The

(02:35):
future lens helps you zoom out. It protects you from
being reactive too. Many leaders are excellent at putting out fires,
but never stop to ask why do we keep having
fires in the first place. Let's say you're about to
discipline an employee, cut a program, or restructure a schedule.

(02:58):
Looking through the future lens makes you pause and think,
am I solving a short term problem by creating a
long term one? Will this decision hurt morale, create resentment,
or drive people out the door? In what would a
great leader do today that pays off in six months.

(03:18):
This lens trains you to play the long game, to
anticipate the ripple effects. Leaders who don't use the future
lens are constantly surprised. Leaders who do use it start
seeing things before they happen. And Lens three is the
accountability lens, and the question is what am I personally

(03:42):
responsible for today? This is the most uncomfortable lens, but
it's the one that separates average leaders from great ones.
The accountability lens doesn't let you blame the system, or
staffing or corporate. It puts the mirror up and asks
where am I slipping? What am I tolerating? What hard

(04:07):
conversations am I avoiding? If morale is low, what did
I do to lift it up? If someone made a mistake,
did I train them properly? If the vision is blurry?
Have I communicated clearly? You see, accountability isn't about punishment,
It's about ownership. Great leaders use this lens daily to

(04:30):
stay grounded. They know that whatever happens in their team,
their department, or their business, they are the thermostat, not
the thermometer. They set the temperature, so when something's off,
the accountability lens helps you start with you. So when
you start each day, or walk into a big meeting,

(04:52):
or face a tough moment, I want you to mentally
reach for these three lenses. People. Am I seeing and
hearing my team? Future? Am I thinking about tomorrow not
just today? And accountability? What do I own in this?
Because leadership isn't about having all the answers, It's about
asking the right questions and having the right perspective. So

(05:12):
tomorrow morning, before you open that laptop or walk into
your office, take a breath and ask yourself, am I
looking through the right lens today? This has been the
seven minute Leadership podcast and I thank you for listening.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.