Most leaders invest heavily in making sure that their products, services and business operations are best in class and that is crucial to succeed, but it is not enough.
The secret that the savviest executives know is that for their companies to thrive, their people must thrive. Clever directors know that the fastest and surest way to profits is to focus on productivity and to win at that game; employee engagement has to be at the root of all strategic planning.
Welcome to Alive from 9 to 5. I am Executive Mentor Coach Corry Robertson and I am here share the secrets that you need to bring your workforce to life.
This is your place to come to get quick hits, inspiring tips, tools and techniques on mastering interpersonal dynamics, conflict resolution and change leadership, so that you can be a motivational and inspirational force at the helm of a thriving organization.
Have you ever noticed that the most remarkable leaders seem to have an uncanny way of spotting people’s strengths and weaknesses and then they are able to direct energy to where it needs to go to get the job done? What do they know about getting the best out of their people without driving them into the ground?
As John D Rockefeller said: “I will pay more for the ability to deal with people than for any other commodity under the sun”
Today I am going to give you some insight on how to recognize Big Picture Thinking in yourself and manage it in others.
The Big Picture Thinker, you are well loved for your creativity. When a big picture thinker is coming from their underlying and most natural self, they can look at things in a unique way and are often the visionaries among us. We need them because they are the ones who can look beyond what is and move us into the realms of what could be. The Big Picture thinker wants to improve the way things are done, they want to break the status quo and champion new ideas for a new and better world even if it means introducing changes of a dramatic proportion. The big picture thinker will speak up even among people who may consider their ideas odd or down right strange.
When the team is stuck in a rut you need to bring your big picture thinker energy to the table and watch as potential is transformed to performance! You will see those folks come to life because they are working from their most natural source of energy. They will be engaged, productive and happy to be at work, giving their best selves to the task at hand.
Ah, but there is a shadow side to the Big Picture thinker that you as the leader must understand and recognize. Like all human beings, Big Picture Thinkers can and do become over extended so you must watch for these signs and then manage them appropriately. The signs of over extension are that their thinking is producing unrealistic or disparate ideas. Their concepts seem fanciful and they appear to be coming out of LaLa Land. Another sign of over extension is taking the conversation out on tangents and having difficulty sticking to the topic. When over extended, a big picture thinker will propose change for the sake of change and you and their other colleagues will have a hard time getting them back in touch with reality.
As a leader, you have got to keep your eyes and ears open to be able to spot these signs and then intervene. If you are over extended, be honest with yourself and take a good hard look at how your energy is affecting, may be even debilitating your workforce. If you spot it in a direct report you have got to talk to this person and together, figure out what is causing the over extension and what can be done to resolve it. In the state of over extension the ability to deliver results and contribute to the success of organizational goals will naturally be extremely limited.
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Share this episode with your colleagues so that they can help you build a workplace culture that is Alive from 9 to 5 because, for your company to thrive, your people must thrive!
Great post and video Corry. I love the information on the Big Picture Thinker. I can relate to the gifts and shadow side of these individuals. Namaste, Lianne