7 Habits--Begin with the End in Mind

Beginning with the end in mind is a very simple yet deceptively difficult task.  Picturing who you want to be at the end of your life is easy; becoming that person is the hard part.  We are either a products of our own design or the creation of other people's agendas.  

To do this, to capture that self awareness that allows us to dictate or own path, we must first find leadership.  Last semester, we discussed the difference between leadership and management, and Covey expresses similar thoughts.  "Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right thing."  While both are very important traits for an officer to have, one cannot be effective without being a leader first, manager second.

Also part of this task is finding your center.  This section calls to mind the scene from "Mulan" where Captain Li Shang sings "once you find your center, you are sure to win!"  While it is true that being a correctly centered person is vital to effective leadership, it is not so simple as to be solved in a quick montage.  The real search for center is a long difficult journey that never really is finished.

The section that really struck me as important to aspiring soldiers was visualization and affirmation.  Astronauts and athletes use this process to remain calm in intense situations and think clearly under stress.  Arguably there is no more intense and dangerous job than that of a professional soldier; visualizing yourself calm and collected in the middle of a hectic ambush will help you be just that if such an event were to occur.  Creating an "internal comfort zone" by visualizing the situation clearly and relentlessly will familiarize the event.  This struck me as a good way to prepare for combat action, an additional process to aid in readiness that goes beyond battle drills and training.  Coolness under pressure is a skill combat leaders need to survive, and anything to help develop that is worth pursuing.