The Big Picture
How do individuals make the shift from individual people to team players who exemplify the concept of the big picture?
People who build successful teams never forget that every person on the team has a role to play. And every role plays a part in contributing to the bigger picture. Without that perspective the team cannot accomplish its goal. The team may be in sports, business, family, ministry or government. Leaders at the highest level understand the law of the big picture. They continually keep the vision of the big picture before themselves and their people. It takes courage and resolve to recognize that the goal is more important than the role. It’s no small thing for people to do what’s best for the team. Often it means sacrificing professional satisfaction, individual statistics or personal glory. So how does a group of people start to become a more open unified team? How do individuals make the shift from individual people to team players who exemplify the concept of the big picture? It is not something that happens overnight. It takes time. Here is how to get the process started.
1. Look at the big picture. Everything starts with vision. You have to have a goal. Without one you cannot have a real team. If the vision for achieving the big picture is embraced by everyone in the group then those people have the potential to become an effective team. Leaders usually have the role of communicating the team's vision. They must see it first and then help the team members see it. The people on the team will sacrifice and work together only if they see what they are working toward. If you are a leader on your team your role is to do what only you can do to paint the big picture for your people. Without the vision they will not find the desire to achieve the goal.
2. How far do we have to go? One of the values of seeing the big picture is that it helps you recognize how far you really are from achieving it. Great coaches or leaders do not shrink from the challenge. They thrive in the opportunity to achieve.
3. Line up needed resources. It is all right to aim high if you have plenty of ammunition. That’s what resources are. Ammunition to help you reach your goal. It doesn’t matter what kind of team you have. You cannot make progress without the support of the appropriate equipment, facilities, funds and so forth.
4. Call up the right players. When it comes to building a successful team the players are everything. You can have great vision, a precise plan, plenty of resources and excellent leadership but if you don’t have the right people you are not going to get anywhere. You can lose with good players but it is very difficult to win with bad ones.
5. Give up personal agendas. Teams that way and have players who continually asked themselves what’s best for the rest? They continually set aside their personal agenda for the good of the team knowing not one of us is more important than the rest of us.
6. Step up to a higher level. Only when players come together and give up their own agendas are they going to move up to a higher level. This is the kind of sacrifice required for teamwork. Unfortunately some people would rather cling to agendas and pursue the path of their own inflated egos instead of letting go in order to achieve something greater than themselves. People who think only of themselves are missing the big picture. As a result their own potential goes untapped and the people who are depending on them or bound to be let down.
To provide the best leadership, you have to become a good listener. You must listen to several voices. 1. The inner voice. As I’ve already said, vision starts within. What do you dream about? If what you’re pursuing in your life doesn’t come from a desire within, you will not be able to accomplish it. 2. The unhappy voice. Where does inspiration for great ideas come from? From noticing what doesn’t work. This content with the status quo is a great catalyst for vision. No great leader in history has fought to prevent change. 3. The successful voice. No one can accomplish great things alone to fill a big vision. You need a good team but you also need good advice. You need good vibes from someone who is ahead of you in the leadership journey. If you want to lead others to greatness, find a mentor. 4. The higher voice. Although it’s true that your vision must come from within, you shouldn’t let it be confined by your limited capabilities.
To get a handle on vision and how it comes to be a part of a good leader’s life understand these four things. 1. Vision starts within. If you lack vision, look inside yourself and draw on your natural gifts and desires. 2. Vision draws on your history. Vision isn’t some mystery. Look into your past and others past who have accomplished similar goals. 3. True vision is far reaching. It goes beyond what one individual can accomplish. And if it has a real value it does more than just include others it adds value to all. If you have a vision that doesn’t serve others it’s probably too small. 4. Vision helps you gather resources. One of the most valuable benefits of vision is that it acts like a magnet attracting challenging and uniting people. It also realizes finances and other resources. Vision is everything for the leader or coach. It is indispensable. Show me a leader without vision and I’ll show you someone who isn’t going anywhere. At best he is traveling in circles.
Where does vision come from? As a leader you have to become a good listener. You must listen to several voices. 1. The inner voice. The vision starts from within. Do you know your life‘s mission? What is in your heart? What do you dream about? If what you’re pursuing and living doesn’t come from a desire within from the depths of who you are and what you believe you will not be able to accomplish it. 2. The unhappy voice. Where does inspiration for great ideas come from? One place is noticing what doesn’t work. Discontent with the status quo is a great catalyst for vision. Are you on a complacent cruise control? Or do you find yourself thinking it's going to change the world? 3. The successful voice. No one can accomplish great things alone. To fill its big vision you need a good team. But you also need good advice from someone who was ahead of you in the leadership journey. If you want to lead others to greatness, find a mentor. Do you have an advisor who can help you sharpen your vision? The higher voice. Although it’s true that your vision comes from within you shouldn’t let it begin by your limited capabilities. A truly valuable vision must have God in it. Only he knows your full capabilities. Have you looked beyond yourself even beyond your own lifetime? If not, you might be missing your true potential to life‘s best for you.
To improve your vision do the following. 1. Measure yourself if you have previously thought about the vision for your life and articulated it to measure how well you are carrying it out. Talk to several key people such as your spouse or mentors asking them to state what they think your vision is. If they can’t articulate it, you are probably not living it. 2. Write it down. If you thought about your vision but never put it in writing. Take the time to do it today. Writing clarifies your thinking. Once you’ve written it, evaluate whether it is worthy of your lives best. And then pursue it with all you’ve got. 3. Do a gut check. If you haven’t done a lot of work on the vision, spend the next several weeks or months thinking about it. Consider what really impacts you at the basic gut level. What makes you cry? What makes you dream? What gives you energy? Also think about what you’d like to see change in the world around you. What do you see that isn’t but could be? Once your ideas start to become clear, write them down and talk to a mentor about them.
—Coach Greg King