High above the water, with the wind in your face and the world stretched out in every direction, you see things differently. Parasailing with my daughter was more than the thrill of being pulled behind a boat — it was about a family adventure and rising high enough to see the shoreline, the waves, and the horizon all at once. From up there, the noise fades, the details blur, and the big picture comes into focus.
In leadership, we spend a lot of time in the details — solving problems, answering emails, dealing with the day-to-day. But if we never rise above, we lose sight of the broader landscape: the trends shaping our industry, the opportunities just beyond the horizon, the subtle shifts that could change everything.
Gaining altitude in business doesn’t happen by accident. It requires stepping away from the urgency of the moment, trusting others to hold the ropes, and intentionally seeking a higher vantage point. It’s the leadership equivalent of letting the boat do the pulling while you take in the view.
Up in the air, you’re not steering the boat or controlling the towline — you’re trusting the system, the equipment, and the team below to keep you aloft. That’s a powerful reminder for leaders who struggle to let go (I’m often stuck in that boat as well…pun intended). Sometimes your job isn’t to grip the wheel harder — it’s to empower the right people, put the right systems in place, and then step back so they can do their work.
From that higher perspective, you can see the currents that are invisible at water level. You can spot where the waves are breaking, where the safe harbors lie, and where the most promising routes lead. And when you land again, you bring that clarity back to the team, helping guide decisions with a broader, more informed vision.
In my keynotes and leadership programs, I often talk about this balance: the need to shift between deck-level leadership, where you’re in the thick of the action, and high-altitude leadership, where you’re scanning the horizon. The best leaders know when to be in each role, sand they’re intentional about making time for both.
Whether you’re soaring hundreds of feet above the water or taking a step back from your business to see the bigger picture, the principle is the same: you can’t chart the best course if you never rise above to see where you’re going. Sometimes the most strategic move you can make is to let go of the controls, trust the team, and take in the view from higher ground.