I am almost certain that my junior high volleyball coach must have read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey's second habit of beginning with the end in mind is a principle that I can remember my coach sharing with us in 7th grade. Our team wasn't winning many games early into the season until Coach Cryer shared a secret with us. Our problem was (mostly) our serves. Many girls couldn't serve the volleyball without the net first getting in the way. The secret that Coach Cryer shared with us was to envision our serve; envision following through with it, and see our serve making it over the net. It worked! Like a charm. Coach Cryer, a leader to her junior high volleyball team, led with the end in mind. It's funny what stays with you and what doesn't. This principle has stuck with me for years.
Last week, I facilitated a large meeting that involved many people from the university and leaders from the community. It was such a large task that I had to stop myself and ask what was the goal I wanted to accomplish. By doing this, I was beginning with the end in mind. I worked backwards in a way. I needed leadership and community involvement. From there, I was able to take the necessary steps to accomplish my goal. I believe by doing this I showed true leadership. The meeting was very successful, by the way.
Derek Sivers in his TED talk discusses ways in which start a movement. His surprising footage on a group of young people shows how movements really are started: by one person knowing what they want to happen, and acting upon it. A leader should always begin with the end in mind. By doing this, the leader knows what the next steps should be and can lead his/her followers to the final destination.
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