THE WISDOM OF
BIG-PICTURE THINKING
Why you
should Receive the wisdom of Big-picture thinking
Intuitively, you probably recognize big-picture
thinking as beneficial. Few people want to be closed-minded. No one sets out to
be that way. But just in case you’re not completely convinced, consider several
specific reasons why you should make the effort to became a better big-picture
thinker:
1. Big-Picture Thinking Allows You to Lead
You can find many big-picture
thinkers who aren’t leaders, but you find few leaders who are not big-picture
thinkers. Leaders must be able to do many important thing for their people:
·
See the vision before their people
do. They also see more of it. This allows them to…
·
Size up situations, taking into
account many variables. Leaders who see the big picture discern possibilities
as well as problems to form a foundation to build the vision. Once leaders have
done that, they can…
·
Sketch a picture of where the team is
going, including any potential challenges or obstacles. The goal of leaders
shouldn’t be merely to make their people feel good, but to help them be good
and accomplish the dream. The vision, shown accurately, will allow leaders to…
·
Show how the future connects with the
past to make the journey more meaningful. When leaders recognize this need for
connection and bridge it, then they can…
·
Sezie the moment when the timing is
right. In leadership, when to move is as important as what you do. A Winston
Said, “There comes a special moment in everyone’s life, a moment for which that
person was born…when he seizes it…it is his finest hour.”
Whether building roads, planning a trip, or moving in
leadership, big-picture thinking allows you to enjoy more success. People who
are constantly looking at the whole picture have the best chance of succeeding
in any endeavor.
2. Big-Picture
Thinking Keeps You on Target
However, to get the right things
done, you also need to consider the big picture. Only by putting your daily
activities in the context of the big picture will you be able to stay on
target. As Alvin Toffler says, “You’ve got to think about ‘big things’ while
you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right
direction.”
3. Big-Picture
Thinking Allows You to See What Others See
One of the most important skills you
can develop in human relations is the ability to see things from the other
person’s point of view. It’s one of the keys to working with clients,
satisfying customers, maintaining a marriage, rearing children, helping those
who are less fortunate, etc. All human interactions are enhanced by the ability
to put yourself in another person’s shoes. How? Look beyond yourself, your own
interests, and your own world. When you work to consider as issue form every
possible angle, examine it in the light of another’s history, discover the
interests and concerns of others, and try to set aside your own agenda, you begin
to see what others see. And that is a powerful thing.
4. Big-Picture
Thinking Promotes Teamwork
If you participate in any kind of
team activity, then you know how important it is that team members see the
whole picture, not just their own part. Anytime a person doesn’t know how his
work fits with that of his teammates, then the whole team is in trouble. The
better the grasp team members have of the big picture, the greater their
potential to work together as a team.
5. Big-Picture
Thinking Keeps You from BeingCaught Up in the Mundane
Let’s face it: some aspects of
everyday life are absolutely necessary but thoroughly uninteresting.
Big-picture thinkers don’t let the grind get to them, because they don’t lose
sight of the all-important overview. They know that the person who forgets the
ultimate is a slave to the immediate.
6. Big-Picture
Thinking Helps You to Chart Uncharted Territory
Have you ever heard the expression,
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”? That phrase undoubtedly was
coined by someone who had trouble seeing the big picture. The world was built
by people who “crossed bridges” in their minds long before anyone else did. The
only way to break new ground or move into uncharted territory is to look beyond
the immediate and see the big picture.
Part 2 Coming soon….
This is taken From How SuccessfulPeople Think
Written by Arshad. A
