The Integrity of Process B
There are a vast number of process flows available to us in the strategy-laden world of leaders.
Today I want to analyze two very basic three-step processes that are based on the same foundational equation:
Input + Production = Desired Outcome
In Process A, we begin by defining our Desired Outcome. At the end of the process, we want “X,” where “X” looks, feels, and performs to specifications.
Once we have fully defined our Desired Outcome, we go in search of the Input (e.g. raw materials) and Production (e.g. process and procedures) necessary to reach that Desired Outcome.
This is the basic production line; a standardized process.
For example, let’s define our Desired Outcome as a beautiful, tasty, 9-inch, vanilla, 3-layer cake with white frosting.
To achieve that Desired Outcome, we assemble the proper Input (ingredients), subject that Input to Production (follow the recipe, decorate it well), and then evaluate the Desired Outcome.
If something is off, we go back and adjust the Input and/or the Production until we get the Desired Outcome we are searching for.
In Process B, we begin by consciously UN-defining our Desired Outcome.
Process B is an evaluative process of discovery – we honestly don’t know what the outcome will be.
In Process B we are actively working to understand reality as it is, not as we wish it to be.
In Process B, the Desired Outcome is knowledge, understanding, and revelation.
In Process B there needs to be a different standard for Input and Procedure than there is in Process A.
To the best of our ability, Process B requires purity and integrity in both Input and Procedure.
Bias, influence, and preconceived notions need not apply.
The Input must be as pure as possible (e.g. clean, reliable, comprehensive data), and the Procedure must be ripe with integrity (e.g. no logic gaps or assumptions made along the way).
If we can be confident in those two things – if we can “trust the process” – then we can receive the Desired Outcome as truth and respond accordingly.
But, if in response to an unfavorable Desired Outcome we simply go back and tailor either the Input (e.g. fudge the data)…
…or alter the Procedure (e.g. change the measuring stick or make an unethical logic leap) until we get a Desired Outcome we DO like…
…we will have perverted the process.
We have now made something appear to be much different than it is, and we have no firm base of reality upon which to act.
In business, in life, and in faith, we tend to be experts in Process A. We can make stuff happen.
But we are often afraid of Process B and tend to shy away from raw, unbiased, revealed truth – because truth can be painful.
We can also become suspicious of the outcomes of Process B.
We have a hard time trusting it.
Because we know how easily Input and Procedure can be manipulated to achieve a Desired Outcome that supports an agenda.
I think it’s fair to say that we should be wary of any Desired Outcome reporting that isn't transparent in revealing its Input and its Procedure.
Because if we can’t trust the process, we can’t trust the results of the process.
As a leader, I encourage you to consider these thoughts when communicating with others.
It is quite easy to develop a conclusion we want people to see if we build our case from a carefully selected data set, manipulate the data, or break away from the rules of logic in our process.
But as a wise leader once taught me long ago, facts are a leader’s friends.
Leaders define reality by facing the truth of the matter head on.
Ray Dalio did well for himself and others building a life around his cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency” (see today’s resource recommendation).
What might that look like in your world?
Be honest with yourself, your organization, and your people by being transparent in your Input and your Procedure whenever possible.
Be open to feedback on flaws in either of these two elements.
And then, if you deem the process to be fully trustworthy and you still don’t like the reality of the Desired Outcome?
That’s when you can, with great intention and purpose, work to change the Input.
Not by manipulation or a more careful selection of data sets, but by making informed adjustments to the culture, the values, the principles, and/or the behaviors that all contribute to the Input segment of the equation.
Admittedly, there are some unfinished thoughts here, but that’s part of our MO.
It’s a Monday Morning Stretch after all. Limber up those neurons, folks. And have a fantastic rest of your week.
Blessings to you all!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation:
"Principles"
– Ray Dalio
Though I could list any number of reasons for my admiration of Ray, a core reason flows out of the mere presence of this book in the world. What would it look like for you or me to define our philosophies and approach to life so boldly and publicly – a full-length mirror “built around his cornerstones of ‘radical truth’ and ‘radical transparency,’” for others to compare against the reality of your public life? That takes incredible confidence and guts, and I admire that in a leader.
From Amazon: In Principles, Dalio shares what he’s learned over the course of his remarkable career. He argues that life, management, economics, and investing can all be systemized into rules and understood like machines. The book’s hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency,” include Dalio laying out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions, approach challenges, and build strong teams. He also describes the innovative tools the firm uses to bring an idea meritocracy to life, such as creating “baseball cards” for all employees that distill their strengths and weaknesses, and employing computerized decision-making systems to make believability-weighted decisions. While the book brims with novel ideas for organizations and institutions, Principles also offers a clear, straightforward approach to decision-making that Dalio believes anyone can apply, no matter what they’re seeking to achieve.
Here, from a man who has been called both “the Steve Jobs of investing” and “the philosopher king of the financial universe” (CIO magazine), is a rare opportunity to gain proven advice unlike anything you’ll find in the conventional business press.
MMS 24-15
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Blessings to you, my friend!
