The Means are the Ends

The phrase, "the ends justify the means" is terrible and yet I see it invoked in countless debates and in several processes. It's a focus on a particular end-state or goal. But in politics and in business that is a terrible focus. There is no end state, the process is the goal.

Sure, there are very narrow definitions of an end goal that support a MacGyver'd solution with a toothpick and some duct tape. But in most applications, the perceived goal is just a step in a longer process. Or better yet, a step in a circular flow where there is feedback from one phase to the next. To cut corners in getting to the next stage, causes a cascading effect on the remaining ones.

I see this reflected a lot in politics. No matter where you are on the political spectrum, there is often the belief that we just need to get a law enacted or politician elected. But states (the broad definition of a state, not just the US kind) ideally last longer than any person. Therefore, laws or politicians can be changed if there is not agreement that they are in society's best interest. In the long-term, there is little value to cheat and strong-arm your way into an unstable solution. It is better to engage and compromise as engagement allows for a more lasting solution.

Businesses represent this continual feedback loop well, as companies can be thought of as a series of repeated processes. Short cuts may save time once or twice but will cause pain down the road. A sales rep reworking a contract to "just get this deal done" leads to easy outs for customers. Creating ad-hoc reports may seem okay at first, but then later you are swamped and you're worse off as the backlog grows. While improvising a solution can be a good thing, the next step is envisioning how it will scale if successful. Otherwise, the new product or process breaks as soon as any stress shows up. It is not about getting a job done; it is about doing the job well.

What does it mean to do it well? It means it is reproducible. It means it can be clearly understood by the next person that was not involved in crafting it. If there are a bunch of steps that are derived from your memory and ad-hoc in nature, then there is little value in continuing to do it in that manner. Build a well-engineered process that can scale.

What is challenging about focusing on the process is that the work is never done. It can feel daunting to consider that there is no end. If you are goal-focused, you just want to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. That focus causes stress and impatience. Impatience leads to short cuts, which cause the dreaded unstable state. 

That is why Carol Dweck and others advocate for a growth mindset. To love the process and not the goal. To love the game rather than any trophies that may come along the way. Not only does focusing on the process lead to better mastery, but it also leads to deeper satisfaction. We stop looking to a specific goal and look to improve. Progress over perfection.

Shifting to a focus on progress can be hard for any individual or organization. But it is the more stable state. And it leads to mastery being leveraged at every level. For the individual it allows for greater resilience not only in the work product but also in emotional capacity. It allows us to embrace and enjoy change because we are prepared for it. Equipped for change, we can flow through the volatility of life with greater ease and happiness.