“Begin with the end in mind”.
These words coined by Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1989) became part of a seven-part system of habits that effectively revolutionized the business world. Specifically, the phrase “Begin with the end in mind” comprises Habit #2 and Covey refers to it as a Principle of Personal Leadership. It follows the Principle of Personal Vision – “Be Proactive”, which is Habit #1. Every job seeker or person in career transition recognizes the need to be proactive – even if the will to do so flags. We are getting the idea, like it or not, that it is now up to us to carve out our own career niches and create our own paths. So Covey’s idea of pro-activity rests readily on the shoulders of today’s seeker. But what about, “Begin with the end in mind”? Do we accept its message for us today as well?
First, what does it mean for us to begin at the end? For the competitive runner, it means to visualize yourself as the first to cross the finish line. For the financial planner, it means to answer questions about the type of retirement that it desired. For the career planner, it means looking down the road to the place where you ultimately want to wind up. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? Even 20 years from now?
In the PaperRoom® (Choice Points, Rice) personal process for change, long term goals are addressed in the first panel. These are long term goals in the truest sense, as seekers are asked to identify goals 20 years out. Why so far into the future? Who knows what might happen in 20 years! How you ever considered what your life might look like in 20 years? Some people are energized by the thought. They readily embrace the idea that they have a key role to play in helping to create their own futures. I’ve seen individuals smile broadly as they describe their dream job, the home they want to have one day, or imagine life as a parent or a grandparent. Others initially shrink from the future ~ seeing it as too abstract or uncertain. They need to be encouraged to dream, to be open, to be unsure and yet boldly move ahead. A compelling reason to engage in this exercise is that it provides a reflective look at what we most want most out of life. Taking an aerial view of the diverse dimensions of family, finance, vocation, health, and spirituality allow you to more clearly see that which is most important. It is a sobering and exciting step in knowing yourself and blazing your own unique path. Once identified, these long term goals form a metaphorical north point on your personal compass and offer a critical reference point again and again. They also provide momentum for the work needed to do to get there.Having done the look at 20,000 feet, you now know the general direction you want to go in. Having painted a picture of your future, you are ready to address your shorter term goals. Short term goals, also completed on the initial panel, are more specific, focused, and can be completed within 1 to 1 ½ years. Punctuated by dates and bullet points, short term goals are the action items on the seekers to do list. Contacts to be made, documents to be prepared, information to be gathered – these are examples of short term goals. Accomplished only with effort and good follow through, the short term goals are examples of the concrete choices we are making to move on.
There is one more piece to that initial panel – a little section called NOW. It asks the question, “What is it you would like to see happen at your goal setting session right NOW?” Are you seeking clarity? New options? Want to get unstuck? Identifying your NOW piece is an essential element in breaking through the barriers that bind. It requires you to thin slice all the immediate possibilities and declare your priorities ~boldly, succinctly, hopefully.
Through structured goal exploration with the PaperRoom process, something extremely valuable shows up – your authentic voice. You can hear it in the words and phrases you’ve chosen. You can literally see it on the large page before you. With it you can claim your unique contribution. Stephen Covey didn’t stop with 7 habits. In his newest book – The 8th Habit – the call is for greatness; “…It’s for fulfillment, passionate execution and significant contribution”. What are you seeking NOW?Marilyn L. Taylor, M.S. is president of Taylor Training & Development, Inc., offering career navigation, executive coaching, and other professional development opportunities. She is a certified practitioner with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, The Strong Interest Inventory®, and the unique PaperRoom™ process. Taylor Training is located at 21 Sunrise Avenue, Suite 6, Lexington, NC 27292. Marilyn can be reached at 336.249.3194 or via the web @ www.taylortrain.com.
Choice Points, by Sydney Rice, is a practical workbook that provides deceptively simple and powerful exercises to get you started on your important journey into self-discovery. Guided by a licensed facilitator or the PaperRoom Book Group Guidelines [download in PDF format], you will get the most out of the book's exercises and enjoy the support and camaraderie of fellow explorers. For more information, please visit www.thepaperroom.com.
being effective person, human or people I think that's base on her attitude and concern to others.
Posted by: jobs online | 09/01/2011 at 08:50 AM