My wife and I joke that she can’t walk out of the house without emptying the dishwasher. She takes care of small things before tackling big.
Detail-people swats flies before riding bulls.
Flies distract.
Swatting flies frees my wife to concentrate on the big stuff. On the other hand, I jump on the bull quickly and leave the flies for later, if at all.
4 Ways to deal with fly swatters:
- Big-picture-thinkers need detail-people more than detail-people need big-picture-thinkers.
- Accept their need to swat flies. Detail-people function better after they kill a few flies. It doesn’t help to chide them.
- Understand their motivation. My wife empties the dishwasher, before we go out, for a very practical reason. She doesn’t want to deal with it later. Big-picture-people are great at leaving things till later.
- Deadlines help detail-people ignore flies. Time pressure allows detail-people to ride the bull sooner. They know how to get things done. But, if there’s time, detail-people enjoy killing a few small items before attacking a big one.
Leadership application:
- Let detail people do what they do best, deal with details. Don’t complain about their strength.
- Admire and affirm their ability to get lots done. Detail-people finish stuff.
- Detail-people enjoy thinking big picture. But, too much big picture drives them crazy. They worry about getting it done.
Exception meetings:
Ride bulls before swatting flies, when it comes to running meetings.
“Let’s take care of a few small items, before we address this big issue,” means you’ll rush through important stuff at the end. Small stuff expands, sucks time, and distracts.
My wife:
I used to feel frustrated that my wife emptied the dishwasher just before it was time to go out. Now I grab a dish and help, unless it’s the last one.
How can detail-people and big-picture-people maximize each other?