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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalajieving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode five twenty two. Today we're talking about one

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<v Speaker 2>of the most powerful and practical leadership tools out there,

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<v Speaker 2>how to reverse engineer a long term goal. It's one

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<v Speaker 2>of those skills that separates dreamers from doers. Everyone can

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<v Speaker 2>dream big, but very few can break down that big

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<v Speaker 2>dream into small, actionable steps that actually get them there.

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<v Speaker 2>So let's talk about how to do it the simple way.

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<v Speaker 2>No buzzwords, no corporate nonsense, just a process that works.

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<v Speaker 2>When people tell me about their big goals, they often

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<v Speaker 2>say things like someday I want to be the chief,

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<v Speaker 2>or I want to start my own business, or I

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<v Speaker 2>want to run a marathon. And I always ask one

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<v Speaker 2>question back to them. I say, Okay, what's the last

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<v Speaker 2>thing that happens right before you reach that goal? And

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<v Speaker 2>that's the magic question, because if you can answer it,

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<v Speaker 2>you've just started the process of reverse engineering. So let's

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<v Speaker 2>walk through all of these steps together. Step one, start

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<v Speaker 2>at the finish line, you have to be able to

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<v Speaker 2>see it clearly in your mind. Don't just say I

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<v Speaker 2>want to be successful. That's too blurry. Say something specific,

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<v Speaker 2>like I want to be a CEO by twenty thirty,

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<v Speaker 2>or I want to launch a business that replaces my

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<v Speaker 2>income in five years, or I want to finish my

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<v Speaker 2>degree by the time my kid graduates high school. When

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<v Speaker 2>you can picture it clearly, your brain has something to

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<v Speaker 2>aim at. If you can't see it, you can't hit it.

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<v Speaker 2>Step two, ask what happens right before that. Let's say

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<v Speaker 2>your goal is to be a CEO. What would have

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<v Speaker 2>to be true right before that happens. Maybe you're already

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<v Speaker 2>a mid level manager with a proven track record. Maybe

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<v Speaker 2>you've built trust with executives. Maybe you've led a few

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<v Speaker 2>successful projects, so that becomes your new target the stage

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<v Speaker 2>right before the finish line. Step three, keep asking that

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<v Speaker 2>same question backwards. What would happen before that? Maybe before

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<v Speaker 2>being a manager, you have to be a supervisor. Before that,

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<v Speaker 2>you have to develop leadership skills. Before that, you have

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<v Speaker 2>to master your current role. And before that, maybe you

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<v Speaker 2>need to take a class, get certified, or volunteer for

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<v Speaker 2>extra responsibility. Every time you ask that question what happens

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<v Speaker 2>right before that you move one step closer to today,

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<v Speaker 2>and when you finally arrive at today, you'll see that

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<v Speaker 2>the very first action you can take right now to

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<v Speaker 2>get started. That's how you turn something big and overwhelming

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<v Speaker 2>into something that feels possible. Step four turn those stages

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<v Speaker 2>into a timeline. Now you know the order of things

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<v Speaker 2>because you ask all the questions backwards. So give each

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<v Speaker 2>step a rough timeframe. For example, year one, master your

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<v Speaker 2>current role and build credibility. Year two, start leading small projects.

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<v Speaker 2>Year three, earn a promotion. Year four, lead larger teams.

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<v Speaker 2>In year five, step into that director or CEO role.

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<v Speaker 2>When you reverse engineer, you're not guessing anymore, you're planning.

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<v Speaker 2>Step five build habits that match the roadmap. If your

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<v Speaker 2>goal is five years away, you need daily habits that

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<v Speaker 2>support it. Ask yourself, what can I do this week

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<v Speaker 2>that moves me one inch closer? Because that's how long

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<v Speaker 2>term goals are really achieved, not by massive bursts of effort,

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<v Speaker 2>but by consistent, small, steady moves that stack up over time.

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<v Speaker 2>And here's the truth, progress is progress no matter the pace.

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<v Speaker 2>Even slow steps still count if they're in the right

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<v Speaker 2>Step six check your heading every few months, look at

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<v Speaker 2>your roadmap and ask am I still on course? Because

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<v Speaker 2>life changes, priorities shift, and sometimes you have to adjust

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<v Speaker 2>the route. Think of it like being a pilot. You

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<v Speaker 2>might drift off course, but small corrections keep you headed

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<v Speaker 2>toward your destination. Reverse engineering gives you a compass, not

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<v Speaker 2>a cage. You can adjust without losing sight of where

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<v Speaker 2>you're headed. In step seven, celebrate checkpoints. Don't wait five

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<v Speaker 2>years to feel proud. Celebrate every milestone you hit, every promotion, certification, skill,

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<v Speaker 2>or small victory. That momentum is what keeps you moving.

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<v Speaker 2>So now let's bring it all together. If someone asks

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<v Speaker 2>you to explain reverse engineering a goal in one sentence,

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<v Speaker 2>here's how you say it. Start at your destination or goal,

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<v Speaker 2>ask what happens right before it, and keep working backward

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<v Speaker 2>until you find the first step that you can take today.

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<v Speaker 2>That's it, simple, clear, powerful. Most people never hit their

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<v Speaker 2>big goals because they're only looking forward and not backward.

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<v Speaker 2>They stare at the mountain and get overwhelmed. But when

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<v Speaker 2>you reverse engineer, you build a staircase up the mountain,

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<v Speaker 2>one step at a time. So here's your challenge for today.

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<v Speaker 2>Take one long term goal, personal or professional. Spend seven

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<v Speaker 2>intentional minutes mapping it backwards, draw it on paper, write

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<v Speaker 2>down each what happens before that step, or ask the

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<v Speaker 2>questions backwards until you land at today. Then circle that

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<v Speaker 2>first action step and do it. It doesn't matter how

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<v Speaker 2>small it is, just move because movement creates momentum and

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<v Speaker 2>momentum creates results. This has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast,

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<v Speaker 2>and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot

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<v Speaker 1>com