Te- looking at the big picture
Ti- looking at the details to make sure they are consistent
I disagree with that. There's so much more to it than that. I'm all about the big picture. Most N's are. S's thrive on details. I just happen to be able to notice/pick apart logical inconsistencies
within that big picture.
As an example, when I've had people working for me in the past, I didn't really care much
how they got their job done - as long as they got it done well and in a timely fashion. I didn't care to be bothered with the details - be autonomous, be creative, and figure it out. I'm here if you really do need me (like any boss would be), but I want you to figure out the details 80-90% of the time - that way I can focus on the big picture (and my own details - which we all have plenty of each day).
Where my proficiency with details comes into play is when people say they are doing one thing, but are actually doing something else. Or if the organization as a whole (and its VIP's) say that it is going in one direction, but is really going in another direction. "Our mission is to serve our target market with excellence." Great, but you're not doing that. You're serving
some of your market and some of someone else's market - and you're not doing it with excellence, you're doing it with mediocrity. So, you're missing your mission on two counts. We see all of these kinds of things, but it's only because we're constantly scanning the big picture. Because I'm constantly scanning the "big picture" (and filing away what I observe into the Si database), if I see something that is inconsistent later that day or next month (or even next year), it's not going to go unnoticed. But, here's the key: if it's not something that affects the overall outcome or the big picture, I don't really care. I don't have the desire nor the time to focus on nonsense. Not all details are nonsense, but some of them are.