I was watching a quiz show this week, Richard Osman’s House of Games, which had Sir Chris Hoy the Olympic cyclist as a contestant. The host asked him what the best winning advice was he had ever received as a decorated sportsperson. Sir Chris said the top Olympic coaches drilled into him the imperative to “focus on the process and not the outcome”. This is great advice in sport generally; I play tennis a lot and by far the best approach is to concentrate on the point you are playing regardless of the score. The New York Tennis Magazine sums this up nicely “The best way to give yourself a great shot at winning is to focus on what you need to do on the way to the desired outcome….. reminding yourself to follow through the same way every time on your groundstrokes is a good focus point”. I think this is another of those sporting principles that translates really well into our professional working world.
See this really apposite article Why Focusing On Process Over Outcome Matters which defines these two types of goals as follows:
“Outcome goals are a result that you hope to achieve, while
Process goals are processes you will need to repeat to achieve that result.”
It observes that “Instead of focusing on an outcome goal such as winning an intense competition, a process goal is a goal that is much easier to achieve. This also helps you with self-confidence, since you'll feel better once you start working towards that outcome.” and suggests that “focusing on the process can even improve your emotional well-being.”
This theme is picked up in a Forbes article How To Focus On Progress Not Results To Prevent Stress And Burnoutwhich advises that “Finding a way to evaluate your year more positively based on progress, not outcome, can help you avoid being too hard on yourself, celebrate small wins and redefine progress in the upcoming year to prevent stress and burnout.” It cites a book by Richard Boyatzis Helping People Change which “states that overemphasizing results [outcomes] or what "should be" makes people operate in this negative state of fight or flight, fear, and anxiety”. It then proposes 7 ways to focus on progress which include:
While this article How To Learn To Enjoy The Journey, Not Just The Destination develops the journey analogy further and provides some sensible advice on how to achieve this (and actions to take) including:
I also like this article I found 4 Reasons Why You Should Stop Setting Goals (and Focus on Process, Instead) by Ozan Varol a rocket scientist turned author and law professor. He says that “When we switch to a process-focused mindset, we condition ourselves to derive intrinsic value out of the activity.” whereas “An outcome-focused approach counterintuitively makes it more difficult for you to achieve your goal.” Returning to tennis “Maria Sharapova describes focus on outcomes as the worst mistake that beginning tennis players make. Watch the ball as long as you can, Sharapova cautions, and zero in on the process.”
This incremental approach is a particularly valuable asset for business leaders. As this blog Why Leaders Need to Focus on Process, NOT Results says leaders who are successful “realize that it’s not all about the end-goal and results” instead they focus on and importantly enjoy the process – “your business is a process, not an event.” While this blog Leadership Tip of the Week: Process vs. Outcome counsels “Focusing on outcomes instead of the process is a mistake many leaders make. Leaders need to learn how to maintain focus on the “controllables” — the things they can actually impact. These are also called lagging or leading indicators. Lagging outcomes are the results that occur as a result of leading indicators.”
And this approach can take time – as the novelist Tom Clancy (and allegedly the business man Jeff Bezos) once said “overnight success is ten years in the making,”
But it is worth it. In the words of three-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Walsh “Concentrate on what will produce results rather than on the results, focus on the process not the prize.”… “The score takes care of itself.”
While the athlete Carl Lewis reinforced this “It’s all about the journey, not the outcome.”
Or to put it another way “I hated every minute of training, but I said. Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Muhammad Ali.
And for a final word “Sooner or later it doesn't matter who's winning because you're learning the process and getting better results. If you put all your energy and focus just on the final results while ignoring the process, you will never walk away fulfilled because your happiness will only be based on the results and not the process.” Tony Logan VP of a publishing company
See this really apposite article Why Focusing On Process Over Outcome Matters which defines these two types of goals as follows:
“Outcome goals are a result that you hope to achieve, while
Process goals are processes you will need to repeat to achieve that result.”
It observes that “Instead of focusing on an outcome goal such as winning an intense competition, a process goal is a goal that is much easier to achieve. This also helps you with self-confidence, since you'll feel better once you start working towards that outcome.” and suggests that “focusing on the process can even improve your emotional well-being.”
This theme is picked up in a Forbes article How To Focus On Progress Not Results To Prevent Stress And Burnoutwhich advises that “Finding a way to evaluate your year more positively based on progress, not outcome, can help you avoid being too hard on yourself, celebrate small wins and redefine progress in the upcoming year to prevent stress and burnout.” It cites a book by Richard Boyatzis Helping People Change which “states that overemphasizing results [outcomes] or what "should be" makes people operate in this negative state of fight or flight, fear, and anxiety”. It then proposes 7 ways to focus on progress which include:
- Trust the process and stick to it.
- Divide your goals into smaller steps or milestones to be able to see progress even when a complete goal is not achieved.”
- Create a safe space to make mistakes.
While this article How To Learn To Enjoy The Journey, Not Just The Destination develops the journey analogy further and provides some sensible advice on how to achieve this (and actions to take) including:
- Focus on what you have – your confidence will then grow
- Celebrate every part of the process – don’t ignore the progress and small milestones
- Detach from the outcome – things won’t always go as planned.
I also like this article I found 4 Reasons Why You Should Stop Setting Goals (and Focus on Process, Instead) by Ozan Varol a rocket scientist turned author and law professor. He says that “When we switch to a process-focused mindset, we condition ourselves to derive intrinsic value out of the activity.” whereas “An outcome-focused approach counterintuitively makes it more difficult for you to achieve your goal.” Returning to tennis “Maria Sharapova describes focus on outcomes as the worst mistake that beginning tennis players make. Watch the ball as long as you can, Sharapova cautions, and zero in on the process.”
This incremental approach is a particularly valuable asset for business leaders. As this blog Why Leaders Need to Focus on Process, NOT Results says leaders who are successful “realize that it’s not all about the end-goal and results” instead they focus on and importantly enjoy the process – “your business is a process, not an event.” While this blog Leadership Tip of the Week: Process vs. Outcome counsels “Focusing on outcomes instead of the process is a mistake many leaders make. Leaders need to learn how to maintain focus on the “controllables” — the things they can actually impact. These are also called lagging or leading indicators. Lagging outcomes are the results that occur as a result of leading indicators.”
And this approach can take time – as the novelist Tom Clancy (and allegedly the business man Jeff Bezos) once said “overnight success is ten years in the making,”
But it is worth it. In the words of three-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Walsh “Concentrate on what will produce results rather than on the results, focus on the process not the prize.”… “The score takes care of itself.”
While the athlete Carl Lewis reinforced this “It’s all about the journey, not the outcome.”
Or to put it another way “I hated every minute of training, but I said. Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Muhammad Ali.
And for a final word “Sooner or later it doesn't matter who's winning because you're learning the process and getting better results. If you put all your energy and focus just on the final results while ignoring the process, you will never walk away fulfilled because your happiness will only be based on the results and not the process.” Tony Logan VP of a publishing company
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