Sometimes they confuse us while most times
they can make all of the difference in succeeding.
They can be confusing for many reasons. Focusing on a few of the details could lead us in a wrong direction. Some details may just simply be noise because they are irrelevant yet we treat them as important. At times, details can come so quickly and in such large quantities that we simply become overwhelmed.
Yet details are important, for most things are not simple, Both execution and forward movement only occur when the details are attended to. Good organizations and busy successful people both are aware of and attend to the details of their situations and lives. They understand there are no shortcuts.
But what makes details not confusing?
It’s understanding the whole picture that gives details their strength. Understanding the whole picture is what gives us the ability to sort through the details to see what is relevant and important. It’s the whole picture — essentially void of details — that becomes our rudder through the confusion that details force upon us.
Alignment is the fancy word for seeing the whole picture and understanding how the details fit. It is the link between them that acts as the lever that increases the impact of every step we take when attending to the necessary details that will help move our lives or situation forward.
Collecting the details while searching for the whole picture is an effective way to approach most situations. Then using your understanding of the whole picture to sort through the details and see what to do next to the most important ones will give you the necessary traction to succeed.
The whole picture doesn’t need to be complete to be helpful. As you do, you will learn and make continual adjustments to it that will keep guiding you to attend to the most important details. Even when their rank changes over time as your understanding improves.