Monday Memo - ❤️ the 🛠️
Fall in love with the work.
Fall in love with the work, not the result.
Fall in love with the practice, not the performance.
Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.
Fall in love with the work, and you’ll get results.
Fall in love with the practice, and you’ll nail the performance.
Fall in love with the problem, and you’ll find the solution.
Result-oriented vs. Process-oriented
Many teams put too much emphasis on the result and don’t enjoy the process along the way. Why is that? What about the end is so intoxicating? Do we have a misplaced hope that it will all be over when we finish? Do we believe the work will stop, the pain will end, and the sacrifice will be sufficient only in the end?
What happens when you finish? Would you happen to stop? Is it over? Have you gotten to a point at which you can afford to quit? Is there enough money in the bank, food in the pantry, corn in the silo, or hay in the barn to allow for rest?
Or is there something else driving you forward?
Result-oriented (Goal-oriented)
Result or Goal-oriented decision-making is when you put more emphasis on the end goal than the process by which you reach the destination.
One of the benefits of a result-oriented approach is that it is easy to manage as it only requires a reaction to an input or outside force.
If something went well, double down and repeat the good.
If something goes terrible, change your actions to avoid the bad.
Reaction-oriented decision-making works well in the short term, as you can measure the change and announce the result in measurements of time and achievement!
When you reach said goal, you are extrinsicly rewarded for the accomplishment. The results you achieve can then influence rewards, ratings, and promotions. So, it is no surprise when this type of decision-making is the default in most corporate environments, as it is easier to deflect poor performance on influences out of your control than accept the responsibility of falling short.
Goal-oriented decision-making isn’t bad; it just can’t be the only strategy you apply to your training/work.
Process Oriented
Another approach to decision-making oriented towards long-term profitability or success is more intrinsic in nature. Not waiting for outside forces, a process-oriented strategy looks internally to find the motivation.
I wake up at 5:30 am, not because the alarm goes off, but because I want to be awake before everyone else and have time to read before the kitchen becomes a crowded frenzy of breakfast-making and lunchbox packing.
or
I wake up at 5:30 am because an early wake-up brings me peace of mind as I plan my day before the family wakes up.
or
I run, swim, and bike because these activities bring me health, energy, and time to think.
If my motivation for running, swimming, and biking was to win a local Triathlon race, what happens after I win?
Is winning the local race a motivation that can sustain years of training? Not to crush the dreams of youth, but as you get older, winning gets more elusive as outside forces conspire against you. No one is immune to injury or aging. You can be the best for a short time, and then the question you must answer is one of longevity.
A longer-term strategy can’t sustain short-term expectations.
If you want to maintain a triathlete's lifestyle, you must be someone who embraces the training process! You have to love running, swimming, and biking — it must have intrinsic value to your person.
Summary
You've probably already failed if a considerable payout is your only motivation for creating a start-up. Because every decision will be made through that goal-oriented lens, and in the wake of your reactionary decision-making, you will leave a string of burnt-out people, half-done projects, and many excuses as to why they failed. But no fundamental understanding of why you failed.
If the motivation for your start-up is more intrinsically motivated, then you have a more likely chance of succeeding in the long term, even if the end goal changes multiple times.
Love the work, not the end result.
“The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
- Albert Camus, in the Myth of Sisyphus