What's Your Big Picture?
What’s Your Big Picture?
Did you know that Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he ‘lacked imagination and had no good ideas’? And that Oprah Winfrey at age 22 was fired from her job as a television reporter because she was ‘unfit for TV’? And Thomas Edison failed some 10,000 times before successfully inventing the light bulb? And there are many more people just like these three. We have heard or read their story’s and we find ourselves being really inspired by them.
But what makes them so different from ourselves? I think part of what makes them different from most other people is they had a noticeably clear vision or Big Picture of where they wanted to go, what they wanted to do, and who they wanted to be and they weren’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. They have a strong inner belief and conviction, that they can achieve what they have set out to do.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
What is a Big Picture?
Having clarity on your Big Picture is that mental picture we create of the future place we want to be. It’s an idea of something we could achieve in the future, but it hasn’t happened yet. What we know is having a clear Big Picture guides us from the inside and it motivates us to persevere and keep doing the work. It enables us to grow and to improve.
Why is your Big Picture important?
In an article written by Chantal Bechervaise she talks about the 5 reasons why vision (your Big Picture) is so important in leadership:
Vision shows us where we are headed.
I think this is so important – if you don’t know where you are going, how on earth will you know when you have arrived? If we are clear on where we are headed, we can plan for what we need. We can anticipate potential problems. Most leaders understand the need for having a plan for their business as it keeps us on course. Having a plan for your own leadership is equally important but not all leaders do this. Where are you headed?
Vision provides motivation and inspires us to keep ongoing.
When we have a Big Picture, we have clarity on the end result. We need to ensure our commitment to this end result is strong, that way we will be more likely to see things through to the end.
Vision keeps us moving forward and through obstacles.
I believe it’s a lot easier to persevere with things when we are crystal clear on where we are headed. When we have clarity and relate to where we are headed, we can tackle the bumps along the way better. We have more conviction.
Vision provides focus.
When we have a clear Big Picture, we can focus in on the things that really matter. The things that will give us the best result. It’s worth remembering that 80% of our results come from 20% of the work we do – are we focused on the right 20%? Let’s not be distracted by the noise.
Vision gives us meaning and purpose in what we do.
When we have a strong Big Picture that we are connected to, we can be unstoppable. Connection to your Big Picture comes from understanding your ‘why’ – the reason you want to pursue this outcome.
A clear Big Picture is that vision of where you are taking your organisation, your business unit, your team, and yourself. It is something you want ‘to be’. A compelling Big Picture is inspiring, exciting, and generates engagement. When you build a shared Big Picture through input and dialog with others, the Big Picture becomes even more powerful. Everyone feels included and the shared sense of energy grows. A shared clear Big Picture is also a great way to get people over setbacks. When people are upset, feel doubt, or face daunting obstacles, the Big Picture of what’s possible can be enough to make challenges seem small.
Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash
How to build your Big Picture
When you build your Big Picture, you need to be clear on what you want. Some people find it easy to project themselves into the future and describe what that Big Picture will look like. Others find it easier to imagine themselves at the end of their life or career and look back to get clarity on the successes and significant moments they had. Regardless of your orientation to this, it’s an exercise that you owe to yourself, to do.
Some questions to consider when you are building your Big Picture could be:
What does success mean for you in your career (or life)?
What will be your most memorable achievements?
At the end of your career (life), what will you have experienced looking back?
How does your Big Picture for your career connect with other aspects of your life?
Remember, try not to put limits on your thinking and dreaming in this phase – think big.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Journaling your thoughts and ideas is a useful process. Equally, coming up with a vision board can also work for some people. The key thing to remember is you don’t have to perfect this in one sitting. Give yourself time to journal and let those initial thoughts sit with you for a while, then every time you think of something additional, add it to your notes. We are all a work in progress, and you will get to make concise sense of it all further down the track. For now, allow yourself the time to think about this.
Having a clear Big Picture for your leadership or your life is one of the most important things you can do. It’s like your compass and will keep you pointing to your true north. A compelling Big Picture is unbeatable so allow yourself the time and space to design your leadership.
If you’re ready to start designing your leadership for the future, we should chat. I love working with leaders, so they make the most of their careers and lead with impact. It’s never too late to start and can be a great way to be intentional around what matters most to us and how we can have the most impact.
Lead with impact,