It’s always a good idea to begin with the end in mind.

Once you have absolute clarity about where you are trying to get to, it’s much easier to determine exactly where you are and where you’re going.

This applies no matter how long the timescale or how big the task.

This is a simple concept which has been stated many different ways by many different people. I am going to keep it brief but make reference to as many key words and phrases as I can for two reasons:

1. you’re probably already familiar with the concept coined one way or another
2. it gives you more ‘anchors’ (no, this time I mean anchors in terms of anchor text, not that type of anchors) to go away and find out more via Google, your local library or your research tool of choice.

Buzzword Bingo

The key words and phrases which relate to this concept which I mentioned above (in case you’re Googling or just wanted some buzzwords for your buzzword bingo) are: vision, mission statement, blueprint, top down strategy and ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’. The last one simply refers to the notion that if you go about your work day to day, perhaps firefighting and dealing with bundles of issues, overworked, under-paid then you may well always be in that situation.

Someone comes along to you and asks you about planning. I don’t have time to plan, you tell them. Well guess what? You’re probably always going to be firefighting.

Begin With The End In Mind: It’s Not Always As Easy As It Sounds

Here’s the thing: even though people know it’s a good idea to work with a vision, keep the end in mind, however you want to phrase it… they forget. We get caught up in the business of our day to day lives and lose sight of what we’re aiming for.

We get off track.

Do this: Pause for just a moment. From time to time pause and think about what you are doing. Is it contributing toward what you are trying to achieve? No? Not at all? Then you know what you have to do.

For some this is not enough. They get it. They understand the importance of planning, but they don’t really know how to plan. Or at least not how to plan effectively. Planning effectively is a whole separate subject which we can cover in another article (let me know if you’d like more on this in the comments below) but for now, just keep in mind that planning is a tool to help you reach your goals.

Just one more quick note on plans. A plan is meant to be an enabler, something to assist you, not a burden. If you over-engineer the plan to the extent that maintaining the plan is a full-time job in itself, then you have probably gone too far. If in doubt keep your plans simple and focus on keeping the end-goal in mind so that you can focus and re-focus your efforts as needed.

The Importance of Vision

In business on large scale projects it’s important to have a mission, a vision statement or a blueprint – preferably all three. They all serve a similar purpose and relate to this concept of beginning with the end in mind but they are all slightly different in scope and purpose. A simple yet very powerful tool is the vision statement. This is generally something very brief that people can be pegged back to at any time. Often aspirational, it’s something that provides a focus to get everyone working towards the same goal.

An example is in a factory environment a particular production manager stated that they were going to reduce manufacturing costs by 30%. This was stated from a given point in time with a particular cost per widget being stated. It’s a statement which workers, management, in fact everyone who was anything to do with that production process could be referred to and measured against. A vision statement might be as simple as being #1 in a particular industry. You get the idea.

Not Just Business

This concept is ages old but a key tool for success not just in business but for life in general. Know what you are looking for before entering into a negotiation and you will likely be more focused in that process and more successful. Know the most you will be prepared to spend on something before entering an auction and you will be a lot less likely to end up spending more than you should.

The concept is ‘Habit 2’ in Stephen Covey’s book ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’. This book is an excellent read and highly recommended. It’s been around for years and is an international bestseller, but the concept of beginning with the end in mind was around long before Covey wrote that book too. Covey’s book is the product of many minds that came before him and sourced from his review of 200 years of success literature as part of a doctoral program.

Questions & Actions

• Start practicing the art of beginning with the end in mind, know what you want to achieve, have a clear vision of what you’re looking for for everything you do.
• Think about where you want to be at the end of the year, at the end of 5 years, 10, at the end of your life – what do you want people to say about you?
• Be clear about your destination and getting there will become a whole lot easier – doing this will make you more successful in whatever you choose to do.