Natural bent

When I was in college, I used to say I was a big-picture guy who didn't do details. You probably aren't surprised to find out that my approach to life created a lot of challenges for me. Turns out the details matter. My grand dreams required me to be able to show up on time, communicate in advance with my team, and be tactically strong.

But I have friends who didn't have any sense of purpose or even lift their heads from trying to do the tasks that were demanding their attention. They seemed to be winning at life for a while until they realized they were on a dead-end road. Without a dream to pursue or a big idea of how to be different than everyone else, you can wake up one day a realize you don't like your life.

It's not either/or. It doesn't matter your natural bent; you must bring both to the table if you want to win. Sun Tzu knew that thousands of years ago.

What is your natural bent? What tips can you share with the rest of us on how to get better at either strategy or tactics?