Connecting with big picture thinkers.
How to tailor your message to someone who sees only the ‘big picture’.
You pay attention to content that is most relevant to your job.
It’s what makes you excellent at what you do.
When people listen to you however, they are filtering what you say according to what information they need most.
When someone shares an idea with you at work …
What do you pay attention to first?
Do you …
Wonder ‘why’, and the bigger picture it fits into?
Go to details, logistics?
Think about the risks?
Wonder what other people think?
Pray it’ll make your job easier?
Chances are, you pay attention to content that is most relevant to your job.
It’s what makes you excellent at what you do.
When people listen to you however, they are filtering what you say according to what information they need most. So even if you like what you like, they’ll zone out until they hear what they like.
If you need people to get onside with your work, tailoring your message to their brains is a must.
In our training, we teach five archetypes of how people like to get information.
Here’s a quick overview, based on the above question you just answered.
A ‘Vision Builder’ wants to know the big picture and how it relates.
A ‘Detail Rockstar’ wants to know the nitty gritty first.
A ‘Governance Guider’ wants confidence that you're aware of the risks.
A ‘Heart Superstar’ wants to know how it could affect people's experiences.
A ‘Get Stuff Done Doer’ wants to know how to get it done efficiently, immediately.
Which sounds most like you? How about that person you need to be on side with?
Many bosses are Vision Builders.
They have to be: their job dictates that they pay attention to the future of the organisation and bring to life a shared mission.
Because most bosses have to become Vision Builders to do their jobs well, today’s email is a guide on how to work, collaborate, and tailor your information to them.
The quick guide to a ‘Vision Builder’.
A Vision Builder is a big picture person. Their brain loves to dream up a ‘future state’, imagining better, more innovative ways to do things.
An ideas person, optimistic; they help others achieve things they didn’t believe were possible. Because they are big picture thinkers, vision builders typically ascend, becoming bosses.
Working with a Vision Builder can be equally inspiring and frustrating.
There are pros: access to big ideas and the excitement of building something new.
Because they are good at dreaming up new ideas, they’re good at getting people to rally around them. If they deeply believe in a mission, they believe anything is achievable.
There are cons, too. They may underestimate how much work is involved, or underplay the level of work required to achieve their ideas.
Do’s and don’ts pitching an idea to a Vision Builder.
The main thing to remember is that when you align yourself with helping them achieve their long term vision, they are so much more likely to get on board.
They can hear you more if you talk about:
Long term impact.
Big picture ideas.
Reputation and flow on effects.
How your message helps them achieve their mission.
Legacy.
They’ll switch off if you talk about:
Someone else's vision. Tie it into their vision or the organisation's legacy.
Problems, without ideas or models on how to work around them. You don’t need to have ‘the’ answer, just the ability to show you’re invested in finding an answer.
Pitching an idea to a Vision Builder.
They’re more likely to pay attention if there’s a clear link to how what you’re asking links to their vision. When you use check in questions, you can tailor your message.
For example:
In your mind, what does success look like to you?
Long term, what’s your hope for this piece of work?
Independent of this job, what would you personally like to be known for?
Two years from now, we congratulate each other on the incredible job we’ve pulled off. In your mind, what would we be saying ‘cheers’ to, in that scenario?
Four things to keep in mind when sharing a message with a Vision Builder.
Focussing on the future is a useful place to start. For example:
Start your sentences with future facing statements e.g: ‘imagine a future where…’, ‘picture this: three years from now…’, ‘there’s a scenario two years from now where…’.
Use a story, visual cue, or analogy. If they’re into sports, prepare a sports-related story. If business, a finance analogy. If creativity, an artistic philosophy.
A vision builder thinks in hope and optimism as the default. If you have bad news, be explicit as to the pros and cons; just start with the positives, first.
Save details for last and only if they ask. Their brains don’t focus on details as the default, so they’ll zone out if you start with them.
Bonus: if your team member is a Vision Builder.
It can be frustrating when you are a Vision Builder yet you don’t have authority or autonomy. You crave the bigger picture work, yet you feel stuck in the day to day realities. You don’t yet have the expertise, credibility or lived experience to lead a team or project.
If your team member is a Vision Builder, your job is to remind them that to get to their end goal, there are tangible stepping stones.
One way you can help them focus is to invite them to think about questions that make their day-to-day job more relevant to their bigger picture.
How to do that.
Encourage them to think about their career goals and how some of their goals could be met in their existing gig. Then, manage their expectations of what is vs what isn’t possible in their role, based on the size of your company and your sphere of influence.
Inspiring them to think of their career options.
Invite your team member to ponder these questions in their spare time:
What vision do you have for your career?
What things could be useful in this job for that goal?
Which elements could be filled elsewhere?
Based on their answers, you can let them know what’s possible at your workplace.
For example, you could say: "Yes, it’s possible to have more authority but with that comes a track record of completed projects. Let’s talk about what that could look like for you …"
Or: "Yes, it’s possible to get a promotion but to do that I need confidence you can do your existing job well. Here is an example of what that would be …"
Linking meaning to a future goal keeps a Vision Builder focussed.
Linking a Vision Builder's big picture thinking to their existing reality reminds them that the job they have right now might not be the ‘dream’, but it is a step in the right direction.
Recap: communicating with a Vision Builder.
If you’re collaborating with a Vision Builder, link their vision to what you’re working on. If you’re reporting to a Vision Builder, show how what you’re working on is achieving their mission.
If you are a Vision Builder, like me, remind yourself that being great at your job today is what makes you a stronger candidate for amazing opportunities in future.
The ‘Vision Builder’ is one of five styles of how people communicate.
Did you know we teach this in detail in our Communicating with Influence workshop?
The workshop is designed to make working with stakeholders easier. It helps employees learn how to package information in a way stakeholders are most likely to pay attention to.
Employees get a ‘guide’ to each type of communication style, including what to say, how to package it, and what phrases to avoid. They leave with a cheet-sheet of one liners and phrases they can use instantly with people who communicate differently to them.