Episode 6: See the Bigger Picture

EPISODE 6 SHOW NOTES: SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURERELEASED OCTOBER 14, 2019OPENING QUOTE: “ LEADERS SHOULD SEE MORE AND BEFORE OTHERS.” - JOHN MAXWELLSeeing the bigger picture is one of THE keys to success as a leader. A leader’s ability to see and describe the future for followers is truly vital to success as a leader and to positioning yourself as a leader that grows future leaders. Dean tells the story of meeting then Asheville Police Chief, Fred Hensley, when he was still a patrol officer and how that experience changed his life. The impactful quote from Chief Hensley to him in that meeting was “Don’t wait until you are chief to think like one.” The Chief also pointed to his chair and asked Dean if he could see himself in it one day. Dean responded “yes” and Chief Hensley told him that was a good start, “if you cannot see yourself in it, you won’t become it.”Dean discusses that everyone has three current states of thought: past, present, and future.DEAN’S 8 POINTS TO SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE:Mindset - That seeing the big picture is tied to your mindset, which is a product of your paradigm. Mindset is your state of thought based on current circumstances. This mindset affects your attitude which in turn affects your actions.Begin with the End in Mind – borrowing from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The goal of any effective leader is to see past the current actions of a follower and see what the potential in them is. What effort are they currently giving?Open your Mind to the Whole Picture – keep your mind open to all perspectives; the danger of using the phrase “stay in your own lane” is to shut down others/followers from opening their mindset to the whole picture.Use Both Sides of your Brain – left, linear side is helpful for directing actions; right, holistic is helpful for creating and visioning the future.Be Mindful of your Self Talk – the dialogue you use to yourself is what will impact your mindset and, consequently, your actions. The average human has 65,000 thoughts per day. Your brain will listen to what you say to yourself.Incorporate the Big Picture in All Aspects of your Life – Seeing the big picture means you have to see it in your personal, professional, organizational roles.Make it a Habit – practice it daily. The rule of thumb is that it takes 21 days to change any habit whether it be mindset, diet, etc. Find a way to work on seeing the big picture daily.Reframe Things – when things happen that negatively impact your daily, weekly, organizational plan, find a way to reframe them into “manageable” pieces that can be “reframed” into a way of positively impacting the big picture. In other words, seek small victories.DEAN’S LEADERSHIP TIP: Always think 2-3 levels above where you are. In doing so, you will impact your mindset positively and train yourself to see the big picture by viewing it from other points of view.© 2026 Dean Crisp and LHLN (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED).