You can be an amazing communicator, have a great team surrounding you, be an expert in your field, but if you can’t figure out how to reach your organization’s goals, you probably won’t last long as a leader.
Setting a goal, and staying the course to get there, isn’t always so easy. There will always be something trying to get in between you and your goal. Distractions pop up along the way, team members have conflicting ideas, you run out of resources. What many leaders don’t realize is that the way you approach your goals can mean the difference between failure and success.
Which is why we want to share a secret strategy that will help you get where you want to go: Begin with the end in mind.
Think of it like this: you wouldn’t build a house without blueprints, right? Because if you did, there’d be no end to what might go wrong. You’d exhaust yourself trying to fix all of your mistakes, and once you were done, you’d have yourself an ugly house.
Beginning with no end in mind is like building a house with no plan. The old refrain “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road’ll take you there” still rings true today.*
Beginning with the end in mind isn’t just a tactic, it’s a mindset — a mindset that will enhance your effectiveness not only in your leadership, but in all avenues of life.
As a leader, maybe your goal is for your team to feel more connected to your company. Or perhaps you want them to go in a different direction. Approaching those conversations with the end in mind allows you to structure the discussion in a way that leads to the desired outcome.
Actress Lily Tomlin once said, “I always wanted to be someone when I grew up. I guess I should have been more specific.” Consider your own path. Where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish this year? Think further into the future. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In whatever you do, think with the end in mind, that way you’ll know exactly what you’re moving toward.
*source, author Lewis Carroll
