I’m a huge Steven Covey fan, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The habit that has influenced me the most is # 2: “Begin with the end in mind.” Basically, Covey suggests that you approach goal-setting by envisioning your ideal end goal, and then reverse-engineer the steps to get there. A tried-and-true method that’s been celebrated since 1989 when the book was original written. (In other words it ain’t new!) I think the essence of the approach that gets misunderstood is thinking that the end should be “set in stone”. When it comes to goal-setting, obviously people will fail if they are proceeding with no plan. That said, it’s fascinating to consider, that often times, people will have a solid plan AND be laser focused on their long-term goal and sill fail in their efforts.
Failure to hit a longer-range goal due to not having a plan is a no brainer; it’s like trying to get somewhere in the woods when you don’t know where you started, where you currently are, or where you want to go. However, addressing how people fail to hit a goal when they have a solid plan AND are laser-focused on it, becomes perplexing. Recently, I came across a book called Start, and the author, Jon Acuff, really dug into this topic. His spin on it was that once we begin a business venture, we cannot accurately predict where we are going to wind up, and he cites Steve Jobs as an example. Clearly, Jobs is a person who had a solid handle on business trends- and yet, when the Segway came out, he predicted people would design entire cities around it. Wow, was he wrong! Another example: In an interview excerpted in Sharon Lechter and Greg S. Reid’s book Three Feet From Gold , Truitt Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, admitted he had no clue as to where his business idea would take him or how big it would get.
Setting your long-term plans and goals in stone makes you feel prepared because you have seemingly laid the ground work for success. However, it can also result in your missing or ignoring huge opportunities. If you look at a goal you may have set in motion 5 years ago (2008) think of the MASSIVE changes that may have had an impact on it, such as: the Market bottoming out, health care reform, and everyday changes in technology, just to name a few. (Where were you when iPhone 3 came out? We’re at the i5 now. Keep up!) These things affected everyone nationally and globally, but what about changes that hit close to home? Major life events like a death in the family, getting married, having an unexpected child, or a chance meeting with a game-changing future business partner –“Thanks Will”– can have a huge impact on your future trajectory. How can you successfully integrate these unexpected changes into your plan when you obviously know they will have repercussions on your ultimate destination?
You might have noticed- I interpreted these variables, not as setbacks or obstacles getting in the way of my long-term goals but as opportunities to consider! I think Steven Covey is spot-on with his suggestion to “Begin with the end in mind,” and the way to get the most out of it is to shift your thinking from long term goals being set in stone, to seeing them as a “chief aim.” (A concept pioneered by Napoleon Hill) This approach allows you to think in terms of moving in a particular direction vs. a finite destination. When you combine a fast-moving world with a system that allows you to make quick, reliable, strategic decisions, you are going to “rock” your goals. Just keep in mind where you are where you want to go, and decide how to use (or not use) what’s in front of you.
Here are a few ways to look at modifying your current goal-setting process:
- Spend some time defining your “chief aim” Example: I want a business that allows me to work anywhere in the US.
- Look at your journey towards your chief aim in shorter chunks of time, i.e. use 1 year increments instead of 5, 10, or 20 years. (Stuff just changes too fast now.)
- Start with writing down the milestones you would like to accomplish 365 days from now. These should be focused towards your “chief aim”.
- What amendments would you make to these milestones considering your current: resources, relationships, and capability?
- Create a rough plan, including perceived challenges and solutions. What does getting there “look like”?
- Create a detailed quarterly 30-60-90 day action plan.
- Break your 30 day plan down to a weekly plan of action.
- Systematically reassess your plan of action every 30 days to see if:
- Opportunities have popped up that may be good to pursue but require you to change the focus or even the direction of your business or department
- Any challenges (new laws, staffing changes, financial changes, ect.) require you to refocus your efforts and timelines
- Any other insights you have gained (especially from key team members if you have them) could influence the direction you’re headed
I want to make it clear, having a definite aim is very important, and I’m not suggesting you go all loosey-goosey on strategic planning and bail on it every time something new comes along. What I’m suggesting is that to begin with the end in mind is more about having a long-term chief aim. In order to really make it work, create a shorter term check-in system; one that allows you to choose what actions you should take based on changes and opportunities that naturally transpire.
Remember, the sole purpose of your system is to answer one simple question: “Is this still the direction I want to go?”
