One of the most important differences in those that successfully lead and those that do not is the way they think.  Leaders are BIG picture thinkers.  Sure they look at a problem or opportunity from all perspectives but they always defer to the big picture.

My friend Brenda Dunagan shared this story with me and it is a great example of the BIG picture thinking needed to grow as a leader.  One day a traveller, walking along a lane, came across 3 stonecutters working in a quarry. Each was busy cutting a block of stone. Interested to find out what they were working on, he asked the first stonecutter what he was doing. “I am cutting a stone!” Still no wiser the traveller turned to the second stonecutter and asked him what he was doing. “I am cutting this block of stone to make sure that it’s square, and its dimensions are uniform, so that it will fit exactly in its place in a wall.” A bit closer to finding out what the stonecutters were working on but still unclear, the traveller turned to the third stonecutter. He seemed to be the happiest of the three and when asked what he was doing replied: “I am building a cathedral.”

The same is true for you and I are we merely stone cutters or cathedral builders?  Are you a Customer Service Rep or a Business Developer?  Are you an Accounts Receivable Manager or are you leading the charge on building the company’s financial resources?  Are you an Author or a Life Changer?

In a recent Leadership Insight webcast we covered how each of us can become a BIG picture thinker.

Watch the video replay here.

Or click here to listen to How To Become A Big Picture Thinker via itunes.