The Top Down Approach is a great way to think of the big picture: What do we want to achieve? What is our long term vision? How do we want to be perceived by others? Now let's figure out how to get there. For instance, maybe you wanted to reach a sales goal by the end of the quarter. You probably had to think to yourself "What do I need to do different to achieve that goal?"
The Bottom Up Approach is a great way to think on a micro scale: What are our team's strengths and weaknesses? What are the tools and resources we have? What does the data tell us? Now let's see what can we do with these things to achieve something amazing. Maybe you learned about a new feature in an editing program you use for work. What type of cool marketing campaigns can you do now?
We subconsciously use both strategies every day when we're problem solving and making decisions for both our personal and professional lives. Let me know below if you used one of these strategies this past week and how it turned out: