Are the Big Things Really More Important Than The Little Things?

 


There's a notion in time management that there is the big picture and the minor details. The best known metaphor for this Dave Allen's altitude one. The view from the ground is one thing - but don't forget the view from 40,000 feet. The obvious implication being that what matters at a high level is further up the hierarchy of importance.

But is this true? I once saw a theory that Napoleon's success was largely due to one of his staff officers who he had kept with him through most of his career. This guy was a master of logistics and, the story went, was always able to make sure that when it came to battle the French Army was always better equipped and supplied than its opponents. The only battle this guy wasn't available for was Waterloo.

I don't know if the theory is valid, but the thought experiment I went through was, how successful a general would Napoleon had been if his team had concentrated entirely on grand strategies and not taken any thought for the nuts and bolts of the campaign?

The reality is that the big picture is made up of lots of little pictures. It may well be that simply making every day as successful as possible is the best approach.

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