Have you ever been frustrated by someone that gets caught up in all of the details wanting to know the specifics? What exactly? Where exactly? How exactly? For how long exactly? Why exactly?
Or
Perhaps you have been on the other side of the fence frustrated by these big dreamers who have brilliant ideas but no clue of the steps involved in actually making the dream a reality.
If you can relate to the first situation then you are more likely to be a global thinker. If you relate to the second example then you are more likely to be a specific thinker. There is no right or wrong in either of these different thinking approaches.
When you have no awareness of the different approaches, then communicating with someone from the other camp of thinking can be frustrating to say the least! It can be like you are speaking two different languages, resulting in you not getting very far at all. The global thinking person has trouble seeing the big picture goal to move forward and he specific thinking person needs to see where the first step is on the journey before they can move forward, leaving you paralysed before you even start.
If you think about it, both ways of thinking can be very useful. If you can think globally you can come up with all sorts of new ideas keeping people focused on the big picture, and if you can think specifically you can then see and follow all of the steps one at a time to get to the big picture.
With the awareness of the different types of thinking you can become better at bridging the gap between the camps to work together. You may even find yourself seeking out people who have the other approach to collaborate, giving you access to the benefits of both thought patterns.
Pay attention to yourself and the people around you and see if you can notice the global thinkers and the specific thinkers. You may also be able to identify a difference in language that they use. Awareness is the key.
