DETAIL ORIENTED
WHY IT MATTERS
Leaders are ultimately responsible for everything good and bad that happens in their organization. Without micromanaging their people, great leaders have the ability to ensure that no detail falls through the cracks, is forgotten, goes undone, or passes by unnoticed. Leaders that are detail oriented bring comprehensiveness, completeness, finality, and safety to the work. They manage the big picture, but keep track of the day-to-day activities. Leaders that are not detail oriented place their organization at the mercy of the unknown as they allow for simple mistakes and errors that could have been avoided had they been more attentive. Their inability to pay focused attention to detail allows preventable mistakes to create big problems.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that are detail oriented have a knack for seeing things others don’t see, catching mistakes that others don’t catch, and remembering facts and details that others don’t remember. They pay attention to what others overlook, and ask questions others don’t ask. Other people rely on them because they don’t let details fall through the cracks.
Leaders that are detail oriented know it is being great in the small things that leads to success in the big things. They understand that small wins, strung together, can add up to big accomplishments. They appreciate that details that go overlooked can quickly derail their best-laid plans and efforts. They believe that if they are going to do something at all, they are going to do it right the first time.
Leaders that are detail oriented have the ability to move between big-picture thinking and detail-oriented thinking. They don’t get stuck in one or the other. They see the big picture without getting so wide-eyed they lose sight of the minutiae that could make or break them. Inversely, they can also focus on the details without forgetting the larger vision that anchors their work.
Leaders that are detail oriented give life to vision and strategy. They translate the larger scope of the work that needs to be completed into precise plans and exact steps for others to execute. It is their ability to see into the details of execution that gives their strategies and visions power. They are orderly, thorough, and complete in all aspects of planning.
Leaders that are detail oriented can maintain extreme levels of focus over long periods of time. Their focus and attention span doesn’t get weary or worn. Where others would eventually get careless or tire, they don’t. They are exacting from the time they start a project until it is finished. Under all circumstances, they can be relied upon to for the long-term race.
Leaders that are detail oriented know when to pay attention to detail and when their ability to be detail oriented can get in the way of work and slow it down. They are careful to never micromanage the work of others. Being detail oriented is a skill they can turn on and off when they need to. They know which details are relevant and which will just muddy the water and cause confusion. They know when to speak up about a detail and when to just let it go.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
Leaders are ultimately responsible for everything good and bad that happens in their organization. Without micromanaging their people, great leaders have the ability to ensure that no detail falls through the cracks, is forgotten, goes undone, or passes by unnoticed. Leaders that are detail oriented bring comprehensiveness, completeness, finality, and safety to the work. They manage the big picture, but keep track of the day-to-day activities. Leaders that are not detail oriented place their organization at the mercy of the unknown as they allow for simple mistakes and errors that could have been avoided had they been more attentive. Their inability to pay focused attention to detail allows preventable mistakes to create big problems.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that are detail oriented have a knack for seeing things others don’t see, catching mistakes that others don’t catch, and remembering facts and details that others don’t remember. They pay attention to what others overlook, and ask questions others don’t ask. Other people rely on them because they don’t let details fall through the cracks.
Leaders that are detail oriented know it is being great in the small things that leads to success in the big things. They understand that small wins, strung together, can add up to big accomplishments. They appreciate that details that go overlooked can quickly derail their best-laid plans and efforts. They believe that if they are going to do something at all, they are going to do it right the first time.
Leaders that are detail oriented have the ability to move between big-picture thinking and detail-oriented thinking. They don’t get stuck in one or the other. They see the big picture without getting so wide-eyed they lose sight of the minutiae that could make or break them. Inversely, they can also focus on the details without forgetting the larger vision that anchors their work.
Leaders that are detail oriented give life to vision and strategy. They translate the larger scope of the work that needs to be completed into precise plans and exact steps for others to execute. It is their ability to see into the details of execution that gives their strategies and visions power. They are orderly, thorough, and complete in all aspects of planning.
Leaders that are detail oriented can maintain extreme levels of focus over long periods of time. Their focus and attention span doesn’t get weary or worn. Where others would eventually get careless or tire, they don’t. They are exacting from the time they start a project until it is finished. Under all circumstances, they can be relied upon to for the long-term race.
Leaders that are detail oriented know when to pay attention to detail and when their ability to be detail oriented can get in the way of work and slow it down. They are careful to never micromanage the work of others. Being detail oriented is a skill they can turn on and off when they need to. They know which details are relevant and which will just muddy the water and cause confusion. They know when to speak up about a detail and when to just let it go.
BELIEFS
- You have to make a purposeful effort to look for details if you ever hope to find them.
- The most important piece of information at any given time might be the smallest piece of information.
- If you miss or overlook a minor detail today you may be opening the door for massive failure tomorrow.
- Being detail oriented is not something you are or you aren’t. It is a mindset and a skill you can learn.
- If you let something “fall through the cracks” you might never find it again.
- If something is worth doing, it is worth paying attention enough to do it right the first time.
- Being detail oriented means seeing what others don’t see, catching what others don’t catch, and looking harder than others look.
- You will always be grateful you took the time to think through things again to ensure you didn’t miss something.
BEST PRACTICES
- Note the seemingly unimportant things.
- Do work in an orderly way.
- See relevance in what others overlook.
- Maintain your focus at all times.
- Be thorough in completing your work.
- Think through all possible potentialities.
- Pay attention to the small things.
- Don’t let repetitive tasks cause sloppiness.
- Discern the particulars of every situation.
- Make sure things don’t go undone.
- Ask every question that has to be asked.
- Complete you work to precise specifications.
- Don’t let details slip through the cracks.
- Plan how to accomplish your work.
- Look for how everything fits together.
- Discern when to be detailed and when not to.
- Be exacting in your expectations for yourself.
- See the interrelationships between different things.
- Take the time to do things right the first time.
- Think through things all the way to the end.
- Identify which details matter and which don’t.
- Don’t get so detailed you miss the big picture.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I pay attention to little details as much as I should, or do I overlook them far too often?
- Do I freely move between big-picture thinking and detail-oriented thinking, or do I get stuck in one or the other?
- Do I focus on the details without taking things over, or do I let my detailed nature turn into micro-management?
- Do I catch mistakes others don’t catch, or do I find others having to catch my mistakes?
- Do I have a system I use to ensure nothing “falls through the cracks,” or do I overlook and forget things?
- Do I stay focused on the work until it is done, or do I get careless as the work draws on?
- Do I know when it matters to be detail oriented and when it doesn’t, or do I fail to tell the difference?
- Do I feel others trust me to be thorough, or does it seem like they always need to double-check my work?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t be so detail oriented that instead of helping work progress you needlessly delay the progress of work.
- Don’t blindly invest the same amount of energy and level of detail into every project.
- Don’t be so paranoid you have missed a detail that you turn to obsessive-compulsive or micro-management behavior.
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
- I’m extremely detail oriented.
- My desk at work is immaculate.
- I have a set order to completing most tasks.
- I have a great eye for the details of projects.
- I’m a firm believer that “the devil is in the details.”
- I find small problems that others often overlook.