The importance of seeing the bigger picture
In today’s competitive world, you need to see the bigger picture of the business.
To succeed in the long term, you must focus on continuous improvement and innovation. You can’t be complacent with what has been accomplished but always strive for better ways to serve your clients and overcome challenges.
Understanding that there is a bigger picture holds within it several benefits which include:
- The ability to play a more significant role in making key company decisions
- Creates positive vibes between co-workers
- Improves your business’s performance by increasing the general happiness of workers
Seeing the big picture in business is not an easy thing to grasp. It takes a lot of work and even more patience and it’s easy to lose sight of it. If you’re looking to increase your knowledge and discover how business works, look no further!
Big picture thinking may help open up unique and unexpected creative routes, ideas, and solutions no matter what area you’re in – whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, putting together a dream team, or honing your leadership skills.
In this article, we will explore how you can develop big picture thinking when it comes to business and stay ahead of the curve!
What does it mean to see the bigger picture?
The ‘bigger picture’ is understanding your company and team as a whole, not just seeing things from the perspective of only one person or department within your business. This is how big picture thinkers operate.
You need to see how all departments and employees contribute to the overall success of the business.
For a moment, imagine yourself driving across New York and its countless crossroads leading in every which direction.
If you focus only on driving straight ahead, chances are you’ll miss out on some pretty fantastic turns until have gone very far down the road. Or, if you concentrated solely on a small word on the bumper sticker of the vehicle just in front of you, you could cause a serious accident.
Looking at the big picture of a strategy or scenario is essentially what big picture thinking entails.
Big picture examples
- You need to know how much each department contributes to revenue, what they do to contribute, and the potential areas for improvement so that you can stay ahead of your competitors.
- If you’re in a leadership role, you need to look at all of your employees under one lens so that you can spot potential issues before they become major ones.
- When figuring out how to take advantage of business-wide opportunities or challenges, placing an emphasis on the big picture outlook will help you find creative solutions even when the answers aren’t obvious.
This is how you become a big picture thinker.
What are the benefits of seeing the bigger picture?
- Helps you make better, more informed decisions for your own department and company as a whole.
- Makes others feel appreciated by fostering an environment where they have input on big decisions being made.
- Builds strong connections with coworkers when everyone feels involved and valued.
- Helps you prioritize which goals should be tackled first, second, third based on what is most beneficial for your business as a whole.
- Gives the opportunity to see the bigger picture not just in business but also in life. Some speculate that those who strive to see the big picture are actually more happy and well-adjusted in life (although it’s impossible to tell whether people who are unhappy tend to see the world as less of a big picture or if seeing the bigger picture makes you happier).
How to see the bigger picture and develop big picture thinking
The first step is asking questions about every aspect of the business.
For example, if sales are down in one area, ask why that is. Is it because of the price point? Is it because there are competitors in the area who are offering lower prices? Or is it because people are buying alternative products or services to yours?
Once you have the complete perspective of the situation, you can begin strategizing how to solve it and improve sales.
By asking questions, you will have a better understanding of who you are targeting and how to go about marketing your product or service.
What’s the best way to focus on the big picture?
One of the best ways to maintain a big picture focus is by developing strong relationships with everyone around you.
When there is good communication between co-workers and leadership, everybody’s actions are aligned. This will ensure that you are all working towards the same goals and also help to boost morale.
And when the entire team is on the same page – there will be fewer misunderstandings and confusion.
For example, if you want to improve sales but nobody else in the firm understands that then your efforts will fail. The people around you can provide insight into how to best approach the project.
This collaboration may also encourage coworkers to provide further help and guidance as you finish the job, as well as providing them with a sense of accomplishment when you succeed.
The more support you have the better managed your company will be.
The importance of seeing the big picture and staying ahead of the curve
Many times, companies that don’t see the bigger picture will miss out on opportunities to stay ahead of the competition. For example, if you have an idea for a product change, but you don’t see how it could improve sales or your clientele, then the idea will never come to fruition.
It’s essential to be able to see small details and improve on them.
By seeing how all aspects of your business fit together and what they contribute to the big picture as a whole, you can ensure that all areas are working for the good of the company and that everyone is on board with the same goals.
Depending on the size of your business, this may be very difficult to achieve. A small business may only have one person in charge, like a CFO or CEO, while larger businesses have multiple people working together toward the same vision. The way to do so is by being open about sharing ideas and “seeing” how everyone contributes toward the big picture.
Another important aspect of seeing the business at a macro level is that you don’t get stuck in your ways and stop looking for new opportunities to stay ahead of the curve. If you do, you’ll be like every other firm and fail to stand out from your competitors.
There’s always room for improvement and new ideas, and if you’re not open to them, your business will slowly deteriorate.
For example, if you ran a restaurant that had an average menu with decent sales figures, but failed to see how much more successful it could be by adding new products every few months, then your competitors would take over the market share in time.
If you don’t change and expand, you risk not only the success of your business but the future of all those who work there.
To improve and innovate and see how every aspect fits into the big picture, you must be open to feedback and suggestions from everyone who is involved with your business.
The best way to do this is by creating an open dialogue between employees and leadership so no one feels as if they are being left out of the conversation.
Can you be detail-oriented?
Seeing the bigger picture doesn’t mean sacrificing your attention to detail.
You need to always be aware of how small changes affect the bigger picture (detail oriented thinking). For example, if you’re about to change a product in order to improve sales but the manufacturing costs are higher than what you would like them to be, then you might want to consider looking at your margins.
By having an awareness of what’s going on around you, you will be able to make smarter decisions for your business rather than guessing.
As a big picture thinker, you can’t let emotion and bias cloud your decision-making so it’s important to rely on the data and ask questions when necessary.
It takes a lot of work and even more dedication to see the broader perspective when it comes to your business.
Because, if you’re only looking at certain aspects of your business then you won’t get a full understanding of where your business is headed and where it could improve.
Stay ahead of the curve by asking questions, prioritizing objectives, and developing strong relationships with everyone around you.
Your mindset should be focused on how all of the moving pieces contribute to success in your company in the grand scheme.
Ways you can see a bigger, better future for your business
Once you have identified areas where improvements are needed, an essential part of competing in the business world is to offer clients something they cannot find elsewhere or cannot get anywhere else for less money (continuous innovation).
For example, say you work in the IT industry and a competitor has recently implemented new software that increases productivity by 10%.
You, being on top of the latest trends, have heard of this software and would like to implement it within your system. However, you need to make sure it is worth the cost (continuous improvement).
Learning, development, strategic thinking, recharging and living an authentic and meaningful life all require time and reflection.
Why being complacent isn’t an option anymore
In today’s world, being complacent with what has been accomplished will put you behind the curve and in a state of constant competition.
If you continually improve every aspect of your company and strive to be better than your competitors, you will see greater success over time. This may take a lot of work and effort, but it will be worth the time and energy in the long run.
At its core, business is about competition. The more competitive your business is, the better.
This means that you shouldn’t be afraid of what other companies are doing around you – embrace it! You can ask your customers for feedback or ideas about what they would like to see from your business. Always be open and ready to listen!
Having a big picture view of your company is key in determining where you need improvement, as well as knowing where you do things right. Know that being complacent will go against everything you have been working towards and your business will suffer for it, so stay competitive and keep striving to do better.
Tips on how to stay ahead of competitors
The key is not competing with your competition; rather, competing with yourself.
The only way to stay ahead of the curve is to set goals for yourself (i.e., increase sales by 5% or implement new software that increases productivity) and make sure you are constantly improving yourself, your employees, and your company in any way possible.
This may be easier said than done but with time will lead to an increase in revenue, clients, and overall success.
There are countless ways to continuously improve your business, but here are some examples you can start with:
- Provide world-class service
- Listen and respond to your customer’s needs
- Don’t rest on your laurels, keep innovating!
Having a big picture view of your organization is crucial to help you to see areas for improvement and growth, as well as how each part of the company contributes to the whole.
If you are able to stay ahead of the curve by continuously improving every aspect of your company, then you will be able to compete successfully in today’s competitive world.
Conclusion
It is essential for everyone to have a big picture view of the business in order to stay ahead of competitors.
Successful companies are able to identify areas where improvements are needed, offer clients something they cannot find elsewhere or get anywhere else for less money, and continuously innovate with cutting-edge technology.
Reflection is key to understanding where you can improve and what your business can do to be better.
Competing with yourself is easier said than done, but if you set goals for yourself and constantly strive to improve every aspect of your business, you can create an environment where innovation thrives.
And with that, we conclude this article. Thank you for taking the time to read it and please feel free to offer feedback or constructive criticism in the comments section below!
