After two years of weekly HERBISMs, we come full circle with this week’s reminder to begin with the end in mind.

I was reminded of the importance of clarity of the end-goal while doing a project this weekend with my grandson. Partly to keep us busy, but also for bonding and to give our grandson exposure to building things with his hands, it was suggested [by his grandmother] that we build something in the garage. With Christmas coming it was decided that a nice gift for his sisters would be doll beds.

I seized the opportunity to expand the teaching moment to include a little design work by creating a blueprint of the doll beds before actually going out into the garage.

There are three kinds of people:

• The Impromtu-Doers who have an idea, grab materials, and start building. This can often take longer, involve a number of missteps and do-overs, and result in a lower quality product. 
• The Plan-Doers who think through the project, design it on paper (or a computer), compile a list of materials, and build according to the plan. Even though time is spent in design the project overall usually goes quicker, involves fewer missteps, and results in a higher quality product. 
• The Buyers who would rather go to the store and buy a finished product.

I’m a Plan-Doer. Always have been. It’s not only in my genes, but I had many opportunities to learn and do while growing up.

So my grandson and I collaborated and then drew up plans for a couple doll beds that could be used individually or stacked to create a bunk bed. We gathered the materials (I have lots in my garage), cut the pieces as specified, and assembled the beds according the plan. Overall the project took a couple hours and turned out quite decently.

Being a Plan-Doer is especially important when working with others. Not only does it get everybody on the same page during the planning stage, but it ensures that execution is both effective and efficient. Effective because everybody knows exactly what the end result is supposed to look like and efficient because parts of the project can be delegated to different people working independently, and brought together in the end.

Small projects can benefit from the planning-execution model, but becomes exponentially more helpful the larger the project. Whether it’s building doll beds, developing a golf course, or taking a trip to the moon the same planning-execution model can be applied for greater success.

Begin With The End In Mind is habit #2, from Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, right after Be Proactive.

In HERBISM #2 it was stated that the core role of a leader is to get a team from HERE to THERE, where THERE is the desired End.

Whether you call it the End, the THERE, or the Destination the key is that you have clarity of where you are trying to go.

As stated above, clarity of where you are trying to go not only gets everybody on the same page during the planning stage, but ensures that execution is both effective and efficient. Effective because everybody knows exactly what the end result is supposed to look like, and efficient because parts of the project can be delegated to different people working independently, and brought together in the end.

Great Leaders are either inherently Plan-Doers, or humbly accept the fact that this is an area of weakness and find a Plan-Doer to partner with.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.