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Hugh Hollowell · 11-07-2006, 01:32 PM

I learned to lead back in the early 1990's (back when we were in Iraq the 1st time) in the United States Marine Corps. They taught us a concept they called managing by "End State".

Basically, the way it works is you decide what the optimal outcome would be, then move toward that. Rather than tie yourself to a detailed plan that will have to be scrapped once anything changes, you have a broad set of desired outcomes.

Battle (and the entrepreneurial life) is a highly fluid situation. The analogy they used is this: Let's say you are in Chicago and want to go to LA. In that case, being in LA is the endstate. Rather than plot each city you will go to and the number of each exit, you come up with a 70% plan (i.e., one that has a 70% chance of getting you there), then you move out. In this case, it would probably involve getting on the interstate. If things change (bridge is out, road construction, and cetera) then you shift strategies, always focusing on the end state. Whatever gets you closer to the End State (while keeping in mind the parameters set for the mission) is a good thing.

I find that focusing on desired outcomes helps me in a way that broken-down goals (i.e. "lose 1 pound a week for 10 weeks") does not. What if you lose 2 pounds one week? What if you lose 1/2 a pound?

"Motion Beats Meditation"

11-07-2006, 01:32 PM	#16 (permalink)
Hugh Hollowell Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 63	I learned to lead back in the early 1990's (back when we were in Iraq the 1st time) in the United States Marine Corps. They taught us a concept they called managing by "End State". Basically, the way it works is you decide what the optimal outcome would be, then move toward that. Rather than tie yourself to a detailed plan that will have to be scrapped once anything changes, you have a broad set of desired outcomes. Battle (and the entrepreneurial life) is a highly fluid situation. The analogy they used is this: Let's say you are in Chicago and want to go to LA. In that case, being in LA is the endstate. Rather than plot each city you will go to and the number of each exit, you come up with a 70% plan (i.e., one that has a 70% chance of getting you there), then you move out. In this case, it would probably involve getting on the interstate. If things change (bridge is out, road construction, and cetera) then you shift strategies, always focusing on the end state. Whatever gets you closer to the End State (while keeping in mind the parameters set for the mission) is a good thing. I find that focusing on desired outcomes helps me in a way that broken-down goals (i.e. "lose 1 pound a week for 10 weeks") does not. What if you lose 2 pounds one week? What if you lose 1/2 a pound? "Motion Beats Meditation"