Beginning With The End In Mind
Beginning with the end in mind served me well throughout my career—especially when I couldn’t yet see all the steps needed to get there. Taking time to define what we wanted to achieve and how we would measure success gave us a place to start before developing the plan.
I think back to responding to a cyberattack. We were in the midst of a crisis, with problems to resolve and an uncertain path ahead. Taking time to picture where we needed to end up helped bring clarity to the chaos.
That picture gave people a common goal and a sense of purpose. Multiple work groups could coordinate their efforts, and we could make clearer decisions along the way. We didn’t need every answer to know what we were working toward.
Over time, I also learned that I didn’t always need to be the person who created that picture:
Sometimes I drafted my thoughts and talked one-on-one with others about what I might be missing.
Other times, we developed the desired outcome and measures of success together.
And sometimes I asked an individual or group to define what success would look like before offering my own thoughts.
Some of our best outcomes came from those conversations. Others understood issues and challenges I wouldn’t have seen on my own.
Did I always begin with the end in mind? No. And even when I did, we sometimes fell short. But in my experience, taking time to define the end helped us find our way—especially when the next steps weren’t clear.
As you think about your own leadership, here are a few questions to consider:
Before you start working on something, do you take time to picture the outcome you want?
Do you define your measures of success?
Do you invite others to help shape what a successful outcome should look like?
Do you share that picture and the measures of success with your team so everyone knows what they’re working toward?
Where might a clearer picture of the end help you and your team move forward through uncertainty?