Reverse Engineering from Outcome
The Promise
"What should I do next?" is the wrong first question. Define the finished state in concrete detail, then walk backward; the next step appears, undeniable, at the end of the chain.
How It Works
- Define the end-state in concrete sensory terms. Specific enough that two observers would agree whether it has been achieved.
- Walk backward through the necessary milestones. From the end-state: what had to be true the quarter before? The year before? The chain stops at a milestone you can begin this week.
- Read the next step off the end of the chain. It is derived, not brainstormed.
In Practice
Forward planning answers "what's next?" with whatever the current self can imagine. Reverse engineering answers with whatever the goal requires. The two answers are often different, and the reverse-engineered one is typically more specific, less obvious, and closer to correct.
Primary source: Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Reading is the easy part
Install it, don’t just read it.
Reverse Engineering from Outcome is walked from principle to practice in The Identity Install. Get The Achievement Blueprint free, then one framework a week, every Tuesday.
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Keep going
Ch 3 · The Quarterly Operating System
OKRs
Ambitious objective, measurable key results. The goal stops being a talking point.
Primary sources: Andrew S. Grove, High Output Management; John Doerr, Measure What Matters.
The Identity Install
The 10-Year Horizon
Stretch the horizon to ten years and the size of possible expands.
Primary source: Dan Sullivan and Benjamin P. Hardy, 10x Is Easier Than 2x.