--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a tendency at the senior and…" description: "\"There's a tendency at the senior and middle-manager level to be too big-picturish and too superficial. There is a phrase, \"The devil is in the details...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/andy-grove-8875_big-picture_there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-mid_2683083.jpg" --- # There's a tendency at the senior and middle-manager level… ![“There's a tendency at the senior and middle-manager level to be too big-picturish and too superficial. There is a phrase, "The devil is in the details." One can formulate brilliant global strategies whose executability is zero. It's only through familiarity with details - the capability of the…” quote by Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/andy-grove-8875_big-picture_there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-mid_2683083.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/andy-grove-8875_big-picture_there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-mid_2683083.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/andy-grove-8875_big-picture_there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-mid_2683083.jpg) > “There's a tendency at the senior and middle-manager level to be too big-picturish and too superficial. There is a phrase, "The devil is in the details." One can formulate brilliant global strategies whose executability is zero. It's only through familiarity with details - the capability of the individuals who have to execute, the marketplace, the timing - that a good strategy emerges. I like to work from details to big pictures.” [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective strategy requires grounding in concrete details rather than abstract visions; execution hinges on understanding real conditions. **In simple terms:** Good plans need real details. Key Takeaway Start with details, then expand. Themes strategy management execution Mood analytical pragmatic Type advice leadership When to use this quote - product development - market analysis - team coordination - risk assessment Key Concepts systems thinking grounded planning Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance detail focus with big‑picture thinking? - What details are most critical for your current project? A Different Perspective Details alone don't guarantee success without vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-picture/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) [Capability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capability/) [Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details/) [Details Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details-big-2596840/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Familiarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiarity/) [Global Strategies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-strategies-2596839/) [Good Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-strategy-339138/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Managers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/managers/) [Marketplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketplace/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Phrases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phrases/) [Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senior/) [Strategies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategies/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Superficial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superficial/) [Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendencies/) [Timing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timing/) [Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero/) ## Related quotes > [Nobody will ever notice that. Filmmaking is not about the tiny details. It's about the big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-wood/nobody-will-ever-notice-that-filmmaking-is-not-about-the-tiny-details/) [Ed Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-wood/) > [People believe that companies have always had strategies, dating back at least to likes of Henry Ford or Andrew Carnegie, maybe to the contractors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kiechel/people-believe-that-companies-have-always-had-strategies-dating-back/) [Walter Kiechel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kiechel/) > [I think that talking about the personal specificity, personal details, is how you get the big, big audiences - by talking about your relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-think-that-talking-about-the-personal-specificity-personal-details/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [All good strategy eventually degenerates into work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/all-good-strategy-eventually-degenerates-into-work/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“You can shift the odds in your favor by differentiating yourself from others, because a good strategy seeks uniqueness. Rather than a plan, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-bungay/you-can-shift-the-odds-in-your-favor-by-differentiating-yourself-from/) [Stephen Bungay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-bungay/) > [Rarely have I seen a situation where doing less than the other guy is a good strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-spithill/rarely-have-i-seen-a-situation-where-doing-less-than-the-other-guy-is/) [James Spithill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-spithill/) > [“…the only way to do that was to make the trouble she was causing seem unimportant. It was a good strategy, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/the-only-way-to-do-that-was-to-make-the-trouble-she-was-causing-seem/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [“if you want people to comply with some norm or rule, it is a good strategy to inform them (if true) that most other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/if-you-want-people-to-comply-with-some-norm-or-rule-it-is-a-good/) [Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/) > [Having three tough finishing holes in a major, you know, you know that, most likely, it's going to come down to those last three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-johnson/having-three-tough-finishing-holes-in-a-major-you-know-you-know-that/) [Dustin Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-johnson/) > [Investors repeatedly jump ship on a good strategy just because it hasn't worked so well lately, and, almost invariably, abandon it at precisely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dreman/investors-repeatedly-jump-ship-on-a-good-strategy-just-because-it/) [David Dreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dreman/) > [“Good strategy was the only reason I was still alive. I ambushed, set traps, and ran like hell the moment things stopped going my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jester-bobbity/good-strategy-was-the-only-reason-i-was-still-alive-i-ambushed-set/) [Jester Bobbity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jester-bobbity/) > [Life is a house with millions of doors. Here is a good strategy of life: Open the doors, open as much as you can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/life-is-a-house-with-millions-of-doors-here-is-a-good-strategy-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [You can reach the goal you planned for a long time if you have good strategy to achieve it .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-alapan/you-can-reach-the-goal-you-planned-for-a-long-time-if-you-have-good/) [Mitch Alapan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-alapan/) > [Surrender is rarely good strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-manski/surrender-is-rarely-good-strategy/) [Ben Manski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-manski/) > [I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-believe-that-people-make-their-own-luck-by-great-preparation-and/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) ## More by Andy Grove > [Leaders have to act more quickly today. The pressure comes much faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/leaders-have-to-act-more-quickly-today-the-pressure-comes-much-faster/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [Privacy is one of the biggest problems in this new electronic age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/privacy-is-one-of-the-biggest-problems-in-this-new-electronic-age/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [Whatever success we have had in maintaining our culture has been instrumental in Intel's success in surviving strategic inflection points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/whatever-success-we-have-had-in-maintaining-our-culture-has-been/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [The Internet doesn't change everything. It doesn't change supply and demand. It doesn't magically allow you to build businesses by turning investors' money into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/the-internet-doesn-t-change-everything-it-doesn-t-change-supply-and/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [When a change in how some element of one's business is conducted becomes an order of magnitude larger than what that business is accustomed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/when-a-change-in-how-some-element-of-one-s-business-is-conducted/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [A career in journalism suddenly lost its appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/a-career-in-journalism-suddenly-lost-its-appeal/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [I was glad I liked chemistry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/i-was-glad-i-liked-chemistry/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [Every generation thinks that they invented sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/every-generation-thinks-that-they-invented-sex/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [No problem is so complicated that you cannot make it more complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/no-problem-is-so-complicated-that-you-cannot-make-it-more-complicated/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [Bad companies are destroyed by crisis, Good companies survive them, Great companies are improved by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/bad-companies-are-destroyed-by-crisis-good-companies-survive-them/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [Congress will pass a law restricting public comment on the Internet to individuals who have spent a minimum of one hour actually accomplishing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/congress-will-pass-a-law-restricting-public-comment-on-the-internet/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [Investment decisions and personal decisions don't wait for the picture to be clarified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/investment-decisions-and-personal-decisions-don-t-wait-for-the/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/a-corporation-is-a-living-organism-it-has-to-continue-to-shed-its/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [I really don't have much respect for the people who live their lives motivated by an exit strategy existing, being performed. There was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/i-really-don-t-have-much-respect-for-the-people-who-live-their-lives/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [The future is going to take care of itself, like it always has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/the-future-is-going-to-take-care-of-itself-like-it-always-has/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) [Explore all 77 Andy Grove quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) ## More Big picture quotes > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we're really trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/learn-to-see-the-big-picture-often-times-we-get-tunnel-vision-and/) [Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/) > [“Everything's a painting, anyway," Fawn said. "That's what I think. We live inside a giant painting, only we can't see who's holding the paintbrush.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-christo/everything-s-a-painting-anyway-fawn-said-that-s-what-i-think-we-live/) [Rose Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-christo/) > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [My mom taught me the power of love. I learned to focus on the long-term big picture from my father. His sense of humor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/my-mom-taught-me-the-power-of-love-i-learned-to-focus-on-the-long/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) > [Sometimes we find ourselves stumbling over obstacles we face today but always see the big picture and keep moving forward. Have faith - someday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-krause/sometimes-we-find-ourselves-stumbling-over-obstacles-we-face-today/) [Tom Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-krause/) > [I think that the fact of the matter is that metal isn't really part of the big picture of the gay, lesbian, transgender music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-halford/i-think-that-the-fact-of-the-matter-is-that-metal-isn-t-really-part/) [Rob Halford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-halford/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“I suppose that was an example of close attention to detail that is common to writers and artists. It is imperative, whether consciously or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-winder/i-suppose-that-was-an-example-of-close-attention-to-detail-that-is/) [Elizabeth Winder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-winder/) > [“When she made her way to the big picture window that framed the dining room table she froze. She stopped breathing. The anger was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/when-she-made-her-way-to-the-big-picture-window-that-framed-the/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Everyone is against micro managing but macro managing means you're working at the big picture but don't know the details.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/everyone-is-against-micro-managing-but-macro-managing-means-you-re/) [Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/) > [To be a good citizen, it's important to be able to put yourself in other people's shoes and see the big picture. If everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/to-be-a-good-citizen-it-s-important-to-be-able-to-put-yourself-in/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [It is important to ask yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing and what purpose it serves in the big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/it-is-important-to-ask-yourself-why-you-re-doing-what-you-re-doing/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It's not about winning and losing; it's about every day hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/to-be-a-champion-i-think-you-have-to-see-the-big-picture-it-s-not/) [Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/) > [“I would love to tell you that being a content manager is easy. Straightforward. That you will be able to focus on what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-busche/i-would-love-to-tell-you-that-being-a-content-manager-is-easy/) [Laura Busche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-busche/) [Browse all 423 Big picture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-picture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a tendency at the senior and middle-manager level to be too big-picturish and too superficial. There is a phrase, \"The devil is in the details.\" One can formulate brilliant global strategies whose executability is zero. It's only through familiarity with details - the capability of the individuals who have to execute, the marketplace, the timing - that a good strategy emerges. I like to work from details to big pictures.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andy Grove" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-middle-manager-level-to-be-too/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big picture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-middle-manager-level-to-be-too/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/andy-grove-8875_big-picture_there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-mid_2683083.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/andy-grove-8875_big-picture_there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-mid_2683083.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/andy-grove-8875_big-picture_there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-mid_2683083.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's a tendency at the senior and middle-manager level to be too big-picturish and too superficial. There…” — Andy Grove", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andy Grove", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's a tendency at the senior...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-middle-manager-level-to-be-too/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/there-s-a-tendency-at-the-senior-and-middle-manager-level-to-be-too/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```