Why Paying Attention to Detail Is Key at Work
Every member of a team must have attention to detail in order to move the needle for the larger organization.
Insights don’t simply spring out of spreadsheets. Pulling key details out of data requires you to extract, transform, and load it into an analysis tool. Whatever business decision you face, you’ll make a better one if you know the details.
But it’s not just about business intelligence. Consider why attention to detail matters in the other domains of work:
Sales
Especially at B2B companies, sales is all about building relationships. Attention to detail is what makes it possible to remember the names of that sales leader’s kids or team members.
Getting the contract terms right takes attention to detail. So does picking up on prospect's non-verbal cues — which, according to body language researchers, are responsible for more than half of a message’s impact.
Marketing
Although learning more about workflow automation can minimize mistakes, it’s no substitute for strong attention to detail. Rooting typos out of email copy, staying on top of the day’s trends, and comparing target keywords for sake of SEO all take a human eye.
To maximize productivity, automate non-essential tasks and spend the time you save looking deeper into the details of the rest.
Human Resources
Never does attention to detail matter more than working with people. Everything from entering social security numbers correctly on health insurance forms to making sure every member of the team gets paid on time takes attention to detail. HR personnel without attention to detail could get the company sued or deliver a poor employee experience.
Bookkeeping and Accounting
Even small errors in payroll can get Uncle Sam’s attention. Attention to detail ensures that accurate financial records are kept, which are essential for everything from audits to financial forecasting.
Bookkeepers need attention to detail to keep tabs on outstanding client invoices. Especially at public companies, accountants need attention to detail in order to provide accurate information to investors.
Operations
People in operations roles act as multipliers, aiming to enable those in the organisation to maximize their productivity. They oversee the functions crucial to every top performing organisation, such as management, overseeing budgets, helping to hire and train new staff, and so on.
Great operations people are “systems builders” — they create and manage repeatable processes that keep the organisation functioning at a high level. This means they require significant creativity, self-direction and social skills, as well as conscientiousness.
Optimization mindset – You frequently notice how things could be done more efficiently, and have a strong internal drive to prevent avoidable errors and make things run more smoothly. Maybe your friends have been annoyed with you because you’ve often noticed how they can be doing things more efficiently and pointed this out to them. Ideally, you’ve noticed some problem that exists in a previous job you’ve had, and took steps to fix it without needing to be told to do so.
Systems thinking and going meta – Operations staff get endless requests from others to do specific tasks for them. A good staff member will do these tasks quickly and efficiently, but an outstanding staff member will instead try to understand the goal that the person is trying to achieve, and first decide whether the solution or actions proposed are in fact the best ways to achieve that goal. If they aren’t, they’ll propose a new solution.
Top operations staff also notice when people ask them similar questions multiple times, and then think about how to prevent the issue from coming up again. For example: “can you share me on this doc in the Drive” turns into “what went wrong such that this person didn’t already have access to everything they need, how can we improve naming conventions, or sharing conventions in future?”
Aesthetic pleasure in systems working smoothly – Great operations people find a deep aesthetic pleasure in building systems that work smoothly. They not only find it motivating to tangibly help their team, they find it even more motivating when they notice that they have made other people more productive without them even noticing it.
Planning skill – You anticipate problems and steps that others miss when they’re planning a task. For example, you find it relatively easy to see the steps that need to be taken in order for you to run a conference, or put on an event, or run a recruitment round.
Prioritization – There are always more tasks to do than there is time, especially when you consider the long-run value of proactive work to improve existing processes. Great operations people are constantly thinking about the amount of time they should spend on any one activity before they hit diminishing returns.
Staying calm – Not only do operations staff have to deal with lots of tasks and deadlines, mistakes are inevitable, and they may have to be corrected at short notice. For instance, you might arrange an event and have it fall through at the last minute, or have a staff member denied a visa. Good operations staff worry enough to avoid mistakes in the first place, but not so much that they get overwhelmed by emergencies.
High attention to detail – You likely have this if people you’ve worked with have learned that they don’t need to check your work and they trust you not to make errors, and you’re the go-to person for checking over documents and spreadsheets for accuracy because you pick up on errors that others miss.
Organisation & reliability – You create and use checklists, you have reliable systems for managing your tasks, your schedule, and keeping track of documents and other information. It’s rare for you to forget to do something, or for a task to slip through your net. Operations staff have to keep track of a huge number of tasks, and people need to be able to trust they’ll get handled.
Leadership
At first blush, leadership might seem like an area where big-picture thinking matters more than attention to detail. But the details tend to be where tweaks can be made. Leaders who are too far removed from day-to-day processes can miss opportunities where innovation opportunities hide.
Attention to detail is important for every role at a company. So how can you tell whether or not you’re a detail-oriented person?
Are You a Detail-Oriented Person?
Detail-oriented people do certain things that those without the trait do not. But just because you do some of those things does not necessarily mean you have attention to detail. Everyone, for example, can pick up on a strong accent or remember faces.
I’ve noticed that people with above-average attention to detail have certain tendencies. If more than half of them apply to you, it’s a fair bet that you’re good at seeing the details:
Self-critical
People who have attention to detail often turn that skill on themselves. It’s not always a bad thing, but it can be. Self-critical people are constantly looking for ways to improve themselves.
When it becomes a problem is when they focus too heavily on the details they do not like about themselves. Many detail-oriented people must learn to see the good in themselves.
Emotionally intelligent
Similarly, detail-oriented people are good at picking up on other's emotions. They spot cues that go unnoticed by others, and they connect the dots to understand that person’s true thoughts and feelings.
That ability is particularly important at work: Research published in Harvard Business Review suggests emotional intelligence accounts for nearly 90% of high performer's success.
Prudent
Prudent people think carefully about what they do might affect the future. Going through “what if” scenarios requires systems thinking: Seeing the ripple effects of each action is using attention to detail to see the greater picture.
Neurotic
Attention to detail has its pros and cons as a personality trait. But it has clear workplace benefits, and for those who can keep a lid on related traits like neuroticism, it can deepen a person’s relationships and help them avoid taking unnecessary risks.
The question is, how can you train your attention to detail?
How to Train Paying Attention to Detail
You might assume there’s not much you can do to become more detail oriented. How is it possible to become more attentive to things that you naturally gloss over?
1. Walk Places You Normally Would Not
One of these days, try walking to a park. If that’s too far, go to the grocery store. The point is, slow down and pay attention to what’s around you when you’d normally only think about your destination.
You’ll be stunned at what you notice. Even if you’ve taken the same route for years, you’ll spot homes you’ve never seen before. You’ll hear birds, smell plants, and even feel pressure points on your feet that create a completely new experience.
2. Read Regularly
Think about what it’s like to go back and reread your favorite book: the second time around, you notice foreshadowing, character motivations, and plot points that you simply didn’t see on your first read. Because you already know the main points of the plot, you’re able to pay attention to details that you simply didn’t have bandwidth to spot the first time through.
3. Take Frequent Breaks
Breaks are an important way to slow down, especially at work. It’s easy to get so caught up in your priority list that you forget to notice your own thoughts and feelings. Are you thirsty? If you’re sweating, is it because you’re nervous about something?
Developing attention to detail is about doing the work of noticing. If you want to become more aware, self-awareness is the best place to start.
A hack that not people know about to save time in your day for breaks is to use google calendar to do “speedy meetings”. This allows you to automatically shorten your scheduled meetings 5 or 10 minutes to add more breaks in your day.
4. Put Your Phone Away
Too much screen time can short circuit the brain in a way that makes it more difficult to concentrate. When you can’t concentrate on something, you won’t notice nearly as many details about it as you would otherwise.
Chances are, you can’t stop using screens entirely. Instead, set screen-free hours at key times: Before you leave for jogging in the morning, and especially while you’re walking, keep your smartphone stowed in your pocket.
5. Play Games Like ‘I Spy’
Improving your attention to detail does take work, but it doesn’t have to be miserable. Practice noticing small features in jumbled spaces. Games like “Where’s Waldo” and “I Spy,” which you can play for free online, help you train your eyes to see something specific in a noisy image.
6. Compliment Others Often
Delivering a genuine, unique compliment takes significant attention to detail. Think about it: Great compliments point out a positive feature in someone that often goes unnoticed by others.
Challenge yourself. Go beyond visual-based compliments like, “I like your dressing code.” What mannerisms, traits, or ways of thinking does your target exhibit that only someone with serious attention to detail would notice?
7. Break Goals Into Smaller Pieces
Whatever you want to accomplish, it involves multiple steps. Even simple goals, such as “make new friends,” take a series of actions to achieve. You might start with the idea above: Give at least one standout compliment each day.
After you’ve made an acquaintance, you might take that person out to lunch. Attention to detail is important for thinking through how you’ll actually get from point “A” to “B.”
Final Thoughts
Training your attention to detail takes time, but it’s work worth doing. Think about the people you respect: They’re probably thoughtful of others, helpful where they can be, and diligent in their own lives.
To become the person you want to be personally and professionally, give your attention to detail some attention.