The details

A nearby coffee shop has a descriptive tag next to a piece of fabric art from India: “Embroidered Mirrored Tapestry, Gujarat.” But the thing is, that describes a tapestry across the room, and not the one it’s next to. I brought that up to an employee, and she basically said, “Oh.”

My gift is noticing details. Others notice the big picture. Both are needed for a job to get done well.

Teams work best. If you work alone, find a way to join a team. I’m part of a mastermind group that meets occasionally (mostly online), and we all help each other. You can do the same, if you’re not part of a team.

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5 Replies to “The details”

  1. I am blessed with a similar “gift” (perhaps it’s genetic), but not everyone views it as a positive thing. I have often been accused over the years of being “too picky” because I point out these small details, often by subordinates whose work was returned for corrections.

    Your blog posts have included several examples of this “observing small details” trait, and here is another example this week from my own life:

    In the cooking instructions for a “Swedish Meatballs” frozen dinner (microwave meals are my primary diet, sadly), one step said, “Now stir the macaroni & cheese.” But there is no macaroni & cheese with the Sw. Meatballs dinner. I typed up a letter and sent it to the company, along with a cut-out portion of the package showing the mistake.

  2. Bill: Your brain and mine are wired very similarly in this area. For better or for worse!

    Rich: True. Maybe that will remind me to be more thankful!

  3. Paul,
    Thank you for classifying your attention to detail as a gift. It has helped me. Brent is wried much more this way and I berate him for it. I have surely at times taught him to hate this part of himself. Thank you for reframing it for me. Hopefully it will be healing for us both.
    c

    1. Courtney, your comment totally made my day!

      Heather said she can relate. She said that the TV show “Monk” (available on Netflix) helped her to understand me – and to laugh about it.

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