I recently learned a painful lesson which helped me to realise
the critical skill of focusing on 'the bigger picture'. I was
getting ready to facilitate a leadership workshop for 200 managers
at one of New Zealand's largest organisations. As this was an
inaugural programme, the company's HR and development team kept
making changes to the workbook and power point slides right up to a
few days before the event. In preparing, I spent eight hours
painstakingly matching the power point slide numbers to the
workbook page numbers. I was so focussed on getting the details
right and making sure I knew exactly what slide went with what
page, that my nose was buried in the detail.
After a full day of this detailed work, I not only got a
headache but also found out the page numbers I'd carefully matched
up had been changed again by the HR team, and I discovered all my
work had been a waste of time.
Although I was more than frustrated at the time, I later had a
laugh to myself at the cosmic joke of me leading a workshop called
'Understanding the Big Picture', while I was only focusing on the
minute details of page numbers. I spent the rest of my preparation
time putting my focus where it should have been in the first place:
on the overarching concepts I would be discussing, ie. the bigger
picture.
So, how do you manage to staying focused on 'the big picture'
of your vision and purpose in your organisation?
Your primary job as a leader is to be a wayshower and guiding
light, helping others to stay focused on the mission and reason
they're doing what they're doing. Ideally, you inspire people
with your 'voice of leadership', changing their lack of clarity and
confidence into positivity and commitment in moving forward.
As a leader, how many things do you need to juggle at once? It's
not easy to staying focused on your vision while you're trying to
manage the details as well.
Just take a moment to think about everything in your business
that you need to keep your eye on.
You've got at least 10 areas to handle:
- Your Purpose and Strategy
- Marketing/Sales
- Finances
- Administration
- Professional Development
- Competition
- Technology
- Research
- The Economy
- Compliance
So, how are you handling all of these areas? Chances are, if
you're like most leaders, you do drop a few balls occasionally.
Usually, it's impossible to keep your eye on all the balls at
once.
When you're overwhelmed with what you have to juggle, I
recommend focusing on 'the big picture', that is...your message and
mission...the primary reasons you do what you do...the main service
you offer the world.
When you're focused on the big picture, the small things don't
seem so overwhelming. Yes, the details are important, but it does
not help to focus on the details if it means you lose sight of your
main goal. As a leader, holding on to the larger vision is
one of your main responsibility.
Fortunately, I managed to keep my eye on the ball of the 'bigger
picture' during the leadership workshop I led, and it was
successful and well-received. I also learned a few important
lessons as well:
Being a leader means holding a vision for your organisation and
continually inspiring and reminding your team of that vision to
keep them moving in the right direction.
Being a leader means embracing a wider perspective, while your
team navigate the details.
Here's to you finding your 'voice of leadership' as you
keep your eyes firmly focussed on the big picture, guiding your
organisation along the path to success.
Acknowledgement
Sally
Mabelle, M.Ed., B.A.(hons) is an international speaker and
author, and a dual citizen of the U.S.A and New Zealand. Sally is
the President of the National Speakers Association of New Zealand
(Auckland Chapter) and a mentor for the YWCA's Future Leaders
program. To see her in action, click HERE