Standards, Process and Outcomes
Are you process-oriented or outcome-oriented?
Years ago, a friend of mine asked if I was process-oriented or outcome-oriented. I had never heard that pair of polarities before so I took a moment to think about it…and it was indeed only a moment. “I’m definitely process-oriented,” I asserted. Since then, this label has become an important part of my identity.
I realized that I’m motivated to start things, plan them out, make consistent progress, and iterate. I’m less driven by the end result or a goal. I love using the phrase, “trust the process.” I love the proverbial journey vs. the destination. And I easily experience flow, get lost in details, and wish that some process never ends.
Here’s a specific example: like many people, I enjoy cooking at home. I’m less motivated by what the meal is going to look, taste, and smell like, and far more motivated by the ingredients, how to prepare them, how to make the dish better, and do the actual cooking. Along the way, I make a decent mess in the kitchen; I’m so engrossed in the process that I have no interest in disrupting it by cleaning things as I go. I take far longer than I probably could or should but that doesn’t matter to me because I care more about the process than the outcome (truth be told: I do enjoy the meals).
As I reflect on this example, it occurs to me that my process-orientation may be one reason why I don’t eat out a lot. To me, that’s somewhat “transactional,” a simple action that’s taken when I’m either out of the house and hungry, or a way to meet with people. Interestingly, when it’s the latter, I care far more about the time I get to spend with someone (process) rather than the meal or what restaurant we’re visiting (outcome).
Another way to describe this is that I’m not very goal-focused. While I do set them for both my life and work, I’m less driven by my desired outcome and more driven by the work, the activity, and the process of attempting to reach the goal.
Here are other examples.
Living in Colorado, I have no interest in climbing 14’ers (mountains that exceed 14,000 feet in elevation) yet I do 1-2 long, intense hikes every week.
I buy lots of books yet only finish about half of them. I don’t count how many books I’ve read in a week/month/year, instead focusing just on the act of reading and how it gets me to reflect, learn, improve, and communicate in a different way.
The work I do is emotional intelligence coaching and training. And I emphasize to clients that the purpose of our work isn’t to help them learn emotional intelligence (a body of knowledge), it’s to help practice emotionally intelligent behaviors (implement a skill set).
I play in tennis tournaments yet I don’t focus on winning. In my mid-50s, I play the sport for exercise, being outside, and getting a little bit better every time I play.
I’ve never set “a number” for personal wealth; instead, I focus on maintaining a healthy relationship with money by saving far more than I spend, making prudent investment decisions, spending little on fixed expenses and material things, and spending more on experiences that create memories.
Rather than taking 1-2 long vacations each year, I take 1-3 short trips every month (visiting family members, camping, weekend getaways, etc.). This way, I get to look forward to travel on a regular basis rather than once every so often.
I have no desire nor intention to retire. I acknowledge my good fortune that I control my work life since I have my own business, and I love my work since it’s purpose-driven; that allows me to see it more as “play.” Therefore, I see work as simply one part of my life…just like family, friends, solitude, learning, hobbies, etc.
OK, I hope you get the picture, and have started to reflect on how this might resonate with your own personality, preferences, and lifestyle. And one thing to address is that many of us aren’t always at one end of this polarity continuum: there are indeed times when outcome-oriented people “go with the flow” or when process-oriented people work towards a very specific goal (as I’m doing right now during a two-hour period I blocked out for writing).
Let’s now get to how standards fit in, regardless of whether one identifies as being process-oriented or outcome-oriented.
As a process-oriented person, I’ve shared a bunch of my standards above: regularly hiking and playing tennis, taking 1-3 trips every month, and how I spend money. In fact, I can argue that my process-orientation is literally a result of the standards I live by.
But if I was outcome-oriented, the examples I shared would also have standards tied to them. Here’s what I mean.
Desired outcome: climb all 53 of Colorado’s 14’ers. Possible standards: go on long, intense hikes only on those mountains, perhaps 1-2 every month; find a club or small group of people with whom I could complete these hikes.
Desired outcome: win tennis tournaments. Possible standards: join a tennis club to play more frequently; hire a coach to improve skills; invest time watching potential opponents; film myself playing to see what I can change in my game to gain a competitive advantage over them.
Desired outcome: read 50 books this year. Possible standards: read one book a week by carving out time in my calendar every day to read a certain number of pages based on the book’s length.
Desired outcome: a “number” for personal wealth. Possible standards: setting a target salary; knowing how many years I’d need to work at that pay; a minimum savings/investment percentage of income; a timeline for achieving the number.
If you’re an outcome-oriented person, I’m hoping you can relate.
Think about desired outcomes that you have set in the past, and achieved: finishing a 10K or marathon, hitting your sales goal, being able to buy a house or car, lowering your blood sugar or weight, or not drinking alcohol for “dry January.”
In each case, that outcome would have had to have standards: training for the race, sales activities to hit the goal, saving up for the car or home, eating better for health indicators, and consuming non-alcoholic beverages when you’d normally drink alcohol.
Now comes the fun part.
All of those standards became part of the process that you needed to follow in order to achieve your outcome. In fact, I believe that the most effective way to realize your goals is by formulating a process to get there. We all know that we simply can’t wish our goals into existence: we must make the effort to achieve them.
And it doesn’t just stop there. Whether you’re process- or outcome-oriented, I also believe that the only way to achieve a desired outcome consistently is by setting and following a process consistently. And inherent to that process is the requirement for standards.
So what can you do with this idea?
If you are process-oriented, think about the standards you already have and might set to fully enjoy your life experiences, both the daily ones and the occasional ones.
If you are outcome-oriented, think about the standards you have and might set that would help you achieve your desired outcomes. And embrace the fact that you need process to get there.
If you’ve set goals, intentions, or desired outcomes for the next month, quarter, or year, think about what standards you must set to achieve them.
Finally, whichever polarity you identify with, remember that you will likely move along the continuum for different reasons and different points in life. After all, life is a process, not an outcome. Along the way, your standards will change.