How Success Depends On Process, Not Results

Process must always come first, naturally.

Personally I have always been more of a process sort of person. That is not to say that I don’t attach any importance to results. But I think if you first concentrate on the process the results will come following on.

As a writer I am very interested at growing and getting better at writing. So for me, I really want to concentrate on the process of writing. The results are not there yet, but I am convinced that in time they will come.

The problem is if you have a boss or partner who is only interested in the results. And if the results are slow to come, that other person will become impatient and will give you a hard time.

The beautiful Game

You can have a football team that plays the most beautiful game of football, but if they don’t score goals and defend well, and as a consequence the team keeps losing games, the chairman is not going to be happy. Being a beautiful loser does not pay the bills. It’s all about winning.

Of course, any business has to keep an eye on the bottom line. And that is as it should be. Because if the bottom line is not looking good, then eventually there will be no bottom line because there is no business.

Health and safety is a distress purchase, but is it a process or results issue?

In business there a whole host of other issues to consider. And those other issues can have quite an impact on that bottom line.

For example, health and safety is a pretty damn important issue which some companies do not pay enough attention to. These type of companies tend to treat health and safety as a side issue. They see health and safety as what is called a distress purchase. Like car insurance, it is something you are legally obliged to pay for rather than something you want or desire. Something you would really rather not spend any money on at all. However, as many have discovered to their cost, scrimping on this they do at their own peril.

If you think safety is expensive, try having an accident

A very well known multi-millionaire Greek tanker operator once said after one of his ships was involved in a serious oil spill; “If you think safety is expensive, try having an accident.”

Is this health and safety issue concern a focus on process or results? Of course, it is part of the process, but it will have a huge impact on the results.

So for me, process must come first, because without due process there will not be any results worth having.

I know writing is not the same as running a football club or a fleet of gargantuan oil tankers. All the same, I must put process first. For sure the desirable results will follow on.