The Rules of Management, 4th Edition

RULE 63

See the wood and the trees

You’ve got to see the big picture. It’s no good concentrating solely on what you do or what your department does. You can’t even keep your gaze limited to what your organization does, or even what your industry does. You’ve got to see the wider view all the time. The good manager – that’s you^* – needs to have a good grasp of politics – both national and world – social history, world events, national intentions, international concerns, the environment, -current legislation, proposed legislation^** and technological developments (ones that may or may not affect your industry).

But you’ve also got to keep a close watch on what is going on under your nose – your team, your department, your immediate surroundings, ...