bcg blog

Checking the Process

We’ve heard the phrase hundreds of times in our lives. We even agreed with it before really knowing what it meant. The simplicity of the idea is alluring but the execution of the message is daunting. The phrase?

“Trust the process.”

Of course, of course - trust the process. Don’t worry about the results. Don’t get tied up into what other people think. Don’t become distracted by setbacks. Just trust the process.

That’s pretty easy to say when you get what you want. But, what about when you don’t achieve your goals? Or, when you don’t succeed? What about when your process sucks?

Still trust it? Yes and no.

Why Should We Care?
If you are baking cookies and they aren’t sweet enough, you add more sugar. Being a slave to the recipe doesn’t make you disciplined. It makes you a bad baker. The same is true in the pursuit of excellence. 

In preparation to do virtually anything, we make a plan to execute the mission. From going to the movies with our family to starting a new business with a colleague, we formulate a plan to bring this idea to fruition. Sometimes our plans work brilliantly and sometimes they fail miserably. 

Refusing to change plans that are not effective is not trusting the process. It’s poor leadership. So, we change it in an attempt to move closer to the outcome we desire. As we tweak the process and begin moving closer and closer to the desired result, we begin to realize the process may not be what we thought it was.

Many people confuse the process with the operation. The operation is the execution of the plan. It’s what we do - how much sugar we put in, the order in which we make the sandwich, or the drills we do in practice each day. 

The process is a layer up from the operation. The process isn’t what you do, it’s how you do it. Not only that, but our process is practically universal. It can be applied to just about anything we do. It’s not specific to one area, or happening, in our lives. 

That is not to say that we never change our process, but it is to say that the quality of our process is not tied to the result of a single situation. Those pursuing excellence adjust their process not on the emotion of a single failure, but on the curiosity of improvement.


REAL TALK - Action Steps
Trusting the process is not something to embrace blindly. We need to understand ourselves and know who we are at our core before committing to a process we can trust. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind when considering your process.

• Know Your Why 
  
  • Our purpose colors everything we do. Everything. Be sure to take the time to do the  deep work to truly understand why you do what you do. I’ve found Joe Ehrmann’s questions from Inside Out Coaching to be helpful. Replace “coach” with lead if you like. Why do you coach? Why do you coach the way you do? How does it feel to be coached by you? How do you define success?
    

• Know Your Core Values
  
  • Like our purpose, our core values should have a significant impact on our process. They must align. Our core values serve as the ultimate filter for our choices in life. Being sure the process we choose to embrace is directly linked to our core values will ensure we are living authentic lives that will allow us to be at our best.
    

• Be Curious & Courageous
  
  • Curiosity and courage are closely linked. Those that are curious and willing to try something new are always the people that find their way the quickest. Afterall, success is on the other side of our last failure, right? Wonder, explore, and test things out. The worst thing that could happen is you find another way not to do it. 
    

Trusting the process is all about how we do what we do. It’s not what we are doing or the result we get from it. The process is the application of our core values in our daily lives.

For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. 
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