Begin With the End In Mind

I think most people have heard of Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by now.  When I read it the first time many years ago, I was struck by “begin with the end in mind”. Since then, I have applied everywhere I possibly can.

Need a new elevator pitch?  Start with what you want clients to say after you complete the work.  If you want them to say, “they were amazingly fast” or “I couldn’t believe the service level”, build your elevator pitch and service offering with that end in mind.

Need to develop training materials?  Start with what the attendees should have at the end of the class.  (One nice thing about this is generally classes end up more hands-on when you build them this way.)

Need to develop a new service offering?  While this one sounds more complicated, again you can begin with the end in mind.  If you can envision what you want your customers to walk away with at the end of the project, you can build a service offering that genuinely meets a need and you can build your marketing messages as you go along.

Begin with the end in mind is also a great check on decision-making.  If you have a tricky situation and aren’t sure which way to go, mentally walk down each path to the “end”.  You may end up with several possibilities, but it will help you determine where the risks are and what you are actually risking.

This particular habit is one of those that can apply in many, many ways and help you develop solid plans, decisions and programs.  Where do you begin with the end in mind?