Make Room For Getting High

The opening scene of one of my favorite movies, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) showcases one of the best techniques in storytelling and narrative building.

As the credits finish and the names of high-profile actors and production teams are cleverly spliced into the graphics, we see a shot of North America from a planetary level. The music gets faster and the percussion builds as the camera zooms in on the Northeast. Another credit appears, and the camera gets closer and closer to Manhattan, specifically the Upper East Side. As the final highest-profile actor's name flashes across the screen, the camera flies over The Met and drops onto a sedan's sunroof, the music stops - and BOOM - our charming lead appears on the screen.

Before a single word is spoken, we already know a lot about the story we're being brought into because of the perspective we began with from high above. The story starts zoomed all the way out and artfully drops us into the back seat with our main character.

We start off with a planetary point of view and end up being able to read the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch on Mr. Crown's wrist - and it makes sense.

The same thing happens to me when I travel to a new city. I often try to find the tallest place I can go to once I arrive in a new city. And if I can do it without being trapped by tourists, even better. But the reason popular tourist locations are frequently high up is that they give you the best understanding of the place you're visiting because you can see your destination in context and in relation to the rest of your surroundings.

Even if you don't love maps and navigation as much as I do, you can see a location through a different lens if you start off getting high and going from there.

That feels true for most new things. How high above a new situation can you get? Can you zoom out as far as possible to see the day-to-day details in a different light because of your new, albeit temporary vantage point?  It takes practice and it takes intentionality, but it is a skill that I've recently observed some incredible leaders do with ease and it is something I am working on myself.

How do you get high above a situation and gain a new perspective? What tips or tricks work well for you?

Conversation Solopreneurs Need To Hear

The force behind the past 5 months of content that you've seen on my YouTube channel and other social channels has been in large part due to the incredible work of Khaleeqa Rouse, founder of Reel Well Media. In this conversation, I go full Executive Coach in this conversation and we unlock some amazing insights for anyone who is building their own empire!

Quote Living Rent Free In My Head

Favorite Testimonials I've Received

I have recently finished 8 days of facilitation and teaching across three different companies and events. It is the closest to doing improv I'll ever get, but 4-5 hours a day pushes you to the limits. But the growth that is possible when teams step out from working IN the business to work ON the business is incredible.  

And there is nothing better than the executives that invited you to lead their company's offsite have something nice to say without being prompted.

“I knew you were good - I didn’t know you were a magician. We are a different company than we were yesterday because of the work you led us through.” - Founder of $75mm Media Company

"When we articulated the vision for our leadership development session, Andy quickly came to the table with innovative suggestions and behavior-changing approaches.  This allowed our team to not only be fully engaged but to smash the pendulum of their understanding in ways that only a skilled facilitator could do. " - Head of Learning at Anheuser-Busch

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