By, Jennifer Troyan
Big picture thinking is being able to take a large view of what’s ahead and being able to factor in as many possibilities as you can. This trait is common for leaders, visionaries, and entrepreneurs being able to see the “whole” or entirety of a situation and to also hold a vision for how you want things to be.
Indeeed.com defines this concept as: Big picture thinking refers to a thinking strategy that focuses on the entirety of a concept or idea instead of on each individual detail. People who use big picture thinking can often see the long-term possibilities of a plan and the overall potential for success. Big picture thinkers learn from every experience.
Do you have confidence in your plan? What are the opportunities for growth for your company? What do you do when unanticipated or unplanned things occur?
Taking the example of COVID, which no one saw coming, we all experienced world-wide lockdowns, working remotely, health concerns, work/life balance issues, adapting to technology, etc.
“The pandemic had already caused massive dislocation among small businesses just several weeks after its onset and prior to the availability of government aid through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Across the full sample, 43% of businesses had temporarily closed, and nearly all of these closures were due to COVID-19.” *
This was a time to really dig in and think about how to move forward. If you are a big picture thinker, you may have struggled initially but you figured it out. This event really put things into perspective for everyone. Now, business owners and employees are thinking in new ways. We know now that people want flexibility in their working options and so do business owners.
Some Positive Effects and Tips for Big Picture Thinking:
- Having a great company culture with values that everyone in your company knows. This keeps employees engaged.
- People want to do work that is meaningful. People want to be acknowledged and appreciated for their work.
- People want to know and feel that they matter. This is important for creating loyalty and allowing people the space to do their best.
- Be flexible and resilient. This will help you easily adapt.
- Foster an environment of creativity and excellence.
- Be open to ideas. Your teams likely have great ideas to share, and it is up to you to nurture that type of environment. Ask for ideas and don’t expect to just be offered.
- Keep working on long-term strategy plans. Do you have 3-year and 5-year plans? It is important to review this a couple of times each year.
- Create a company wide vision board with your team. Include them in your vision so they can execute it in the best ways possible to experience the growth you want to achieve.
- Work with your teams to improve your bottom line – it is an essential part of running and sustaining your company.
- Make sure your employees know they are not alone in their work, and they are supported.
- Develop your teams professionally by coaching them, to help them be their best and work at an optimal level.
- Take chances and thrive!
Be focused on your company’s purpose and do it better than anyone else. If you are not there yet, work on it and you will get there. Lastly, we leave you with this:
The best thing you can do to have big picture thinking is to THINK BIG!
We have a FREE eBook you can download that you may find useful inplanning for your business – Small Business Success After Covid.
*Source: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2006991117
Images in this article courtesy of rawpixel
