It’s been a busy week of getting stuff done. From meeting notes to website updates to document summaries. I’ve spent the week processing a large amount of information.

What I’ve realized is the importance of taking a step back. Sometimes we look at a picture and we’re so close, we focus too much on the detail. Without taking a step back, we don’t see the bigger picture, as it sits in the wider environment. It’s like looking at the elephant’s tail and not seeing the whole elephant in its natural habitat.

I’ve been focusing on the detail of projects and that has it’s positives. Attention to detail is important. But so is taking a step back, to consider ‘voice’ and ‘tone’ and overall impact. It’s a crucial step and one I have been forgetting of late.

I’m not the only one. I can see this with some groups we have been working with this week. The over attention to detail, while in theory a good practice, misses the point that there’s a bigger picture. If we don’t give time and space to see that, we get stuck in a tunnel vision that is hard to escape.

Comparing the recommendations of an external review with a self-study is a good opportunity to step back and take in the whole elephant. I’m working on finding the common picture, as that provides the map for moving forward.