Are you a Boomer, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z or whatever it is they call them these days? Is that how you want to be remembered, how you want to be defined? Do you allow others to label you and even take on those labels for yourself? More than that, how do you want your daily life to be? At work, with family or leisure, who are you?

I suggest that, whatever your time in history, you need to be a Zoomer. A Zoomer is one who, as the name suggests, is able to Zoom in and Zoom out at will. A Zoomer is able to have great perspective on many issues and situations because she is able to not only have many points of view, but also have a great number of viewing points, or points to view. Like everyone else, a Zoomer has her own set of styles and preferences, but doesn’t allow them to get in the way of what she needs to get done. A Zoomer is both able to plan well and execute that plan. A Zoomer is able to get into the heads of others so that he knows how they think and is able to present vital truth to them in ways that they can readily see.

An example of how a Zoomer operates is being able to go easily from being a great operative to being a great tactician to being a great strategist. Don’t believe the hype that strategy and tactics are separate. People who say such things are simply trying to imply that they are great strategists who ought to be paid more than “the people on the ground.” I’ve said before that if you say that are are able to plan well but just have great difficulty in execution, you’re no planner at all. Yes, there is growth from being a great operative to being a great tactician to being a great strategist, but there is an order of things. You don’t start out by being a great strategist, you start out by learning the ropes first. Now, as you go from operative to tactician to strategist, you obviously can’t know the details of all that there is to know. While you may desire to, you might not have the time, and having so much knowledge may not be on your list of priorities. Therefore, at the strategic level, you need to be able to zoom out and yet have more than enough depth of experience burned into your subconscious to know how to get the expertise you need but do not have. You hire people or you get working partners in to get the best results.

If you prefer working on the ground, that’s absolutely fine, but let it not be because you’re too lazy to be a strategist. Many people seem good at what they do on the ground because it has become “battle drill” to them. It has become instinctive. They have become so familiar with what they do that they no longer have challenges and simply do not continue growing. Such people are in danger of assuming that they already know what it is that the “Higher Command” wants to do and are less eager to engage with strategists. I’ve seen too many of such people in my time, and if you recognize that you are one of them, get your head out of that hole you’re in and start  getting a new life!

So forget about stereotyping yourself! Just be a Zoomer! It’s great for any age and any time in history! I’m learning to be a Zoomer every day. Join me!