At a get together with friends last week I overheard a conversation between two men. One was talking about how he would love to write a book. The other one said that this has been on his bucket list for years but he just didn’t know where to start.
One of the greatest authors of our time, John Irving, recently said in an interview, when the host asked him how he came up with the ideas for his books, that he always starts with the end in mind. Writing the last paragraph of a book then allows the book to be “filled in” with the story.
Having run the operations for two technology based companies in my corporate career, this philosophy was something that I carried with me to accomplish any major task handed to me. Writing the last paragraph of my accomplishment first made it much easier to gather the necessary resources and experts to achieve my goal.
In business, always remember to surround yourself with people who know more than you do. Create a small Advisory Board of business people who can give you honest advice and open doors to opportunities that will help you achieve your business goals.
Always start with the end in mind.