7 Habits of EFFECTIVE FAMILY : Habit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind

‘The end in mind’ is your destination. It is about creating a clear vision of what you and your family stand for, and what you hope to achieve. Vision is the power behind every successful individual and organisation. ‘Vision is greater than ‘baggage’ – greater than the negative baggage of the past and even the accumulated baggage of the present. Tapping into this sense of vision gives you the power and the purpose to rise above the baggage and act based on what really matters most.’

This chapter focuses on developing a family mission statement as the practical application of the habit. In a business environment it is developed by answering the question - ‘What is the essential mission or purpose of this organisation, and what is its main strategy in accomplishing that purpose?

 

Covey describes the process that his family went through in developing their mission statement.

This involved –

1. Creating a vision of what they wanted their family to be like

2. Determining what principles they would live by

3. A shared vision that would be owned by all family members

 

Using the Aeroplane analogy, the family mission statement provides both the destination and the compass. Your vision and values are a yardstick against which you can measure your progress, so that corrections can continually be made, to ensure that you reach your destination.

This then becomes a three-step process –

1. Explore what your family is all about

2. Write your families mission statement

3. Use it to stay on track

 

An useful aid in this process are a series of questions that can be used to arrive at the core values of not only a family, but an individual or organisation. In working together to arrive at a mission statement it is helpful to set some ground rules –

• Listen with respect – ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to provide input

• Restate accurately to show that you understand

• Write down the ideas

 

It is important to remember that you should be focusing on the possibilities, not limitations. As with most truly important things in life, the process is as important as the product, so be careful to keep the following ‘watch outs’ in mind when preparing your family mission statement –

1. Don’t ‘announce’ it – involving everyone takes time and patience

2. Don’t rush it – deep and genuine involvement, listening and joint effort are required

3. Don’t ignore it – beginning with the end in mind is a habit, not an event. Writing it down is only

the beginning; you then have to live it.