In the world of Marketing, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture when so many execution details require your attention and as someone who cut her teeth on event and trade shows, product launches, and campaign management, I can relate to the many moving parts associated with our work.

While we have more tools to assist us with our efforts than we used to, we still need to attend to the details. Often this comes at the expense of having the time to be strategic and look at the big picture.

Paying attention to the details will earn you a reputation for being conscientious, exacting, and organized. With the continued emphasis on technology and execution, where the focus is optimization and efficiency, it’s easy for marketing professionals to become more comfortable with tending to the minutiae. The increased focus on analytics also lends itself to exercising detailed thinking. Detailed thinking is all about producing and productivity.

Whether right or wrong, we work in a business world that more frequently values big-picture thinking. Boards look for leaders who are visionary and have big ideas. We pay homage to people who can dream up new business or disrupt industries. Therefore, marketers who want to be thought of as contributing to strategy and moving the needle for the business need to be able to see the big picture. The words of Leroy Hood, an American scientist, emphasize this point: “If you just focus on the smallest details, you never get the big picture right.” Marketers who want to excel and earn a seat at the table must embrace big-picture thinking

How to Bring the Big Picture into Focus

You may think you know the difference between big-picture and detail-oriented thinking, but to be sure we’re on the same page, I’d like to use a description Joe Galvin, Chief Research Officer of Vistage, uses to explain the difference between the two approaches.

He says: “Big picture people live at the 30,000-foot level, constantly exploring possibilities and potential to see where the organization could or should go. The 'detailers' live in the trenches, focusing on the day-to-day tasks and activities that need to get done so the organization can win.” In today’s environment, good business leaders are often both at the same time.

Big-picture thinking means being able to see all of the effects that a situation has on everything around it. The endgame is clear to people with an aptitude for seeing the big picture. Big-picture leaders are exceptional at recognizing relevant patterns - a skill every marketer should cultivate. As marketers become more adept at data and seeing patterns, we have the opportunity to become more skilled at seeing the big picture.

The Skills You Need to Help You See the Big Picture

Keeping a job, whether it's content marketing, social media marketing, event marketing, or campaign management, takes solid attention to detail. Advancing your career requires building big-picture skills. In my experience, there are two characteristics that people who see the big picture have in common:

• They typically avoid procrastination. They are passionate about the vision and are eager to move it forward. Their focus is on tasks that will achieve the end result. They say no to tasks, activities that aren’t “moving the ball down the field” as we say here in Texas. It’s less about perfection and more about momentum. Want to learn more about this skill? We found that Gary Keller’s book, The One Thing, which is in line with our Accelance® planning process is a valuable read.

• They don’t lose sight of the short-term, but their focus is on the long-term. As a result, they don’t typically get sucked into the over-analysis vortex.

While there are few people who come by both these capabilities naturally, they can be developed. Successful marketers are typically already good at the details. Therefore, we need to focus more on big-picture skills. Here are three everyday steps we can take:

1. At least once a day, learn something new about your industry, your customers, or your competition. Make a note of it and ask the question: What are the implications of this information - to our company, to our industry, to our customers, and to Marketing?
2. Once a day (put it on your calendar), step outside your normal routine and meet and talk with people not in your regular circle. This may mean joining an association, attending a conference, or reaching out to someone whose work you admire. The goal isn't learning more about what you already do, such as making a better podcast or improving SEO. This is about listening and gaining new insights and fresh perspectives. Leverage your LinkedIn network and make time to move from a connection to a conversation.
3. At least weekly, engage in a strategy conversation at work with a leader in your organization outside of Marketing. This could be someone in Operations, Finance, or Customer Service. Use these conversations to help identify ways your work can tie directly to the strategies of the organization as a whole. Circle back with recommendations and a business case for the recommendations that reflect these ideas.

Big-picture and detail-oriented thinking are not mutually exclusive, and Marketing is a discipline that requires both strategic thinking and attention to detail. If you’re not sure how Marketing can more effectively address the big picture, this is a great time to engage with an external resource to serve as a sounding board and help formulate your ideas.

Laura Patterson is president and co-founder of VisionEdge Marketing, Inc., a recognized leader in enabling organizations to leverage data and analytics to facilitate marketing accountability.

Laura’s newest book, Marketing Metrics in Action: Creating a Performance-Driven Marketing Organization (Racom: www.racombooks.com ), is a useful primer for improving marketing measurement and performance. Visit: www.visionedgemarketing.com

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