The big picture will only get you so far

I made a snarky comment to my wife the other day (and instantly regretted it).

She had driven the length of our cul-de-sac to our house and hadn’t noticed all the bins on the road put out for early morning collection.

Why should she? It’s my job to do the bin stuff.

But I was tired after a full-on day, and I didn’t feel like messing around with the garbage.

So, I made a sarcastic comment.

Not clever.

I think she didn’t pay any attention to the yellow and green bins because it wasn’t her job to. And that took me on a bit of a thought journey about seeing. What kind of vision do we need to be a good and effective leader?

It seems to me that the best leaders see two things—possibilities on the horizon, and what’s in front of our face.

Welcome to my new blog. Animal Instincts is a contribution to the important space of work health and good living. The animal kingdom seems to get so much right in this area, it is ridiculous. So, I am going to attempt to extract some natural wisdom from our beautiful world and see what it might teach us.

For example, let’s talk about Eagles. An eagle’s eyesight is estimated to be around 4–8 times stronger than a human. From thousands of feet in the air, they can spot small prey moving on the ground. In other words, an eagle can see long distance as well as small detail.

Would you call yourself a visionary person?

I think I am. I see possibilities. I see how small changes might make a big difference. But can I communicate that to others in a way that excites them too?

That’s a different skill, right?

Several years ago, I was involved in the merging of two organisations. I painted a picture of a great future in everyone’s imagination, and as far as I knew, all stakeholders were enthusiastic and ready to go. Like the eagle, I had tried to see what lies ahead, including the small details that might become important.

But I hadn’t fully read the room. When we hit a few roadblocks, some issues of trust became apparent. I had worked hard on presenting a compelling vision, but not enough on building faith with those who would journey with me to get there.

A few half-truths started floating around and it became increasingly difficult to restore the ‘same-page’ unity we once had. One person felt very hurt. Some poorly chosen words by another did irreparable damage.

The merge never happened. I (and others) moved to other organisations before the process was concluded and that was it. The vision never came to be.

The eagle sees small details in the midst of the big picture—details that are vital for its survival. The details I missed could have been spotted if I had taken the trouble to engage in more conversations (and listen) as much as enthuse about the possibilities ahead.

Have you ever missed something important because you hadn’t taken the trouble to get to really hear someone?

A visionary leader sees more than the big picture; he/she notices people.

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Looking for more practical ways to apply these ideas?

Explore the Animal Instincts guided journals and resources.

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