Big Picture

A Pragmatic Look at the Big Picture or
A Treatise on Effective Communication, Critical Thinking and You

Presented by Jonathan Gonnet

A lot like Heart Health or Offensive lineman in football, thinking critically and moving ideas forward doesn’t get talked about much and is only really noticed when NOT properly or effectively functioning, and usually by then it’s too late!

I want to touch on a subject that is the foundation to any and all successes you will obtain, through your career or personal life. It is just as important to the everyday activities we perform as well as each of our individually specific long term goals.

I know this is important because I know each one of you, and I know all of us consider ourselves Masters of our own Universe who house deep-seeded passions, hopes and dreams for not only ourselves, but for our loved ones. I preface with all of that, to let you in on something someone told me a long time ago. The dirty secrets of success in America is simple: In order to succeed, in whichever way one defines success, one needs to be able to perform a modicum of mathematical functions, develop an excellence in writing and speaking, and most importantly, be able think on a critical level.

The two parts of communication I want to focus on are those that affect us the most: The ability to write and speak coherently and the faculty to read and listen for meaning.

In an increasingly flat world where there exists more competitive resources (read: employable and qualified people) and more competition for our clients, being able to communicate and execute ideas, and at our age and experience level, is no longer a luxury but a baseline necessity. Being able to write and speak in a business professional manner is a valuable skill, not only for the bigger picture for those interested in management, graduate business school or other high rungs, but in the present and now, in order to qualify ourselves as the consultants we claim to be and to instill confidence with some of the larger outfits which gain more importance and relevance with the decline of the small and medium businesses.

Remember this idiom: Professional behavior begat professional behavior and before you know it, you are wrangling in the big account and being counted on to spread information to your peers and colleagues.


The corollary to written and spoken communication is the active listening and comprehension of what you read and hear. Because the majority of directives are communicated through email, the biggest opportunity in this realm is in the absorption and retention of what we read. A lot of times, because of how busy we stay, emails get overlooked, deleted, or pile up unread. A lot of simple questions can be answered by just staying current with your email. Read everything that comes in your inbox and refrain from deleting items that there might be a chance will be needed in the near future. I usually clear out my inbox at the end of the month because within those 30 days, I will frequently revisit old emails for information and direction. This is important for the big picture, when you read everything that comes in your inbox, you are empowering yourself with sometimes company wide information and initiatives. This effectively loops you in the corporate conversation, an important dialogue and flow of ideas and messages that is not necessarily given out by invitation.

It is really easy to for us, as sales people and a gear in a bigger machine, to be myopic and short sighted. I hear a lot of “Why can’t SO and SO” and “Why isn’t X and X this way”. The best way I recommend and what I do is to look at things, not only for our jobs, but in life, and try to understand the mechanisms and flow from the top down, thinking critically. The relationship between cause and effect is a very strong one, a fact strong enough that Newton was compelled to legislate it into a physical law.

For our roles, each and every directive we get, is to accomplish a bottom line objective. In organized businesses, there is no wasted movement. So, in other words, everything we do is not for our health, but for a reason. The best thing I’ve learned throughout my career is to try and decode what exactly that reason is and to drive to accomplish that underlying goal. If we can understand the macro level of what goes on it makes understanding our roles and expectations much easier, you can sometimes even accomplish MORE because you are employing your own creative thinking and problem solving skills, and you derive more fulfillment in your tasks allowing you to work harder and more productively. You then are no longer performing an arbitrary task, but you are tackling your job with awareness; you are building a career!

Lastly, have fun with it! Make it yours and add an indelible imprint. For example, I like to wax on and on and practice writing, as you can probably tell by this presentation. I am of the opinion that mastering these things will enable you to not only be successful employee, but a happy and individual.