When driving in a scenic area, there are occasional road signs announcing a vista or scenic overview ahead. Cars pull over; people get out and gaze at the fetching scene. But we don't all see the same thing. When looking at a landscape some people see a forest, others see trees. It's the same thing in business.

When looking at a problem, a challenge, an opportunity, or a conflict, some people see the overview, the "grand strategy" or the big picture. Others see details.

Some people are conceptual thinkers. They reach conclusions quickly because their thought processes skip intermediate steps with a "we'll figure that out when we get there" attitude.

Others are linear thinkers and methodically proceed step-to-step, taking a task to its conclusion but slowing a project into a quagmire of meticulous effort.

Both the conceptual and linear thinker may, but certainly not always, arrive at the same conclusion, but they will get there by following very separate paths. A business needs both the conceptual view (the forest) and the detail view (the trees) in order to thrive.

Few people are both conceptual thinkers and detail thinkers, so it is important to know and understand the thought processes of the people you work with. It is especially important when creating work teams to have both conceptual and detail thinkers working together. This will ensure your projects will be conceptually sound and have the details done correctly so no steps are forgotten.

But there is a problem: conceptuals and detailers hate working together.

Big picture folks feel that detailers bog them down in the morass of inconsequential minutia while detail-oriented people feel the conceptuals overlook or bypass important steps. Managing an activity to completion often requires walking a tightrope of negotiation between both camps and building consensus to keep a project moving forward without overlooking potential problems.

That "scenic overview" is beautiful because of every tree, shrub, weed, rock, pebble, and butterfly. When these detail elements are assembled into a forest, it becomes a grand vision. Try and do the same with all your projects.

Opinions expressed solely are those of the writer. Larry Galler, of Larry Galler & Associates, is a marketing and management consultant for small and mid-size companies. For more information or to get his free report, "Tolerations driving you nuts? Eliminate them now!" contact larry@larrygaller.com or call (219) 464-9463.