What it Means To begin with the end in mind is to begin with the image of the end of your life as the frame of reference by which everything else is measured. We may be busy, we may be efficient, but we will only be effective if we begin with the end in mind. There is a first creation to every part of our lives. We are either the second creation of our own proactive creation, or we are the second creation of other people's agendas, of circumstances, or of past habits. Leadership and Management Habit 2 is based on principles of personal leadership, which means that leadership is the first creation.
Management is the second creation.
Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things. Often people get into managing with efficiency, setting and achieving goals before they have even clarified values. Becoming Your Own First Creator Proactivity is based on the endowment of self-awareness. The most effective way to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement. The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about, and what you value.