This week the world has watched a horrific situation unfold in Afghanistan. The Taliban has resurged, taking over the country in 11 days. American citizens and Afghan allies are trapped, unable to fight through the checkpoints to get to the airport. At least a dozen American military members and over 100 Afghans have lost their lives as the result of the bombing. These are the results.
Results matter.
I was not a witness to the planning process going into this withdrawal. I am not privy to anyone’s thoughts. I have no knowledge of anyone’s intentions- good, bad, or otherwise. I don’t pretend to know anything more than what I have seen and heard. And here it is: there has been much needless loss of life, and it’s not over yet.
We often judge our actions by our intentions. But sometimes our good intentions can have disastrous consequences. When that happens, we can either waste time and effort seeking to justify ourselves, or we can get busy dealing with the reality of the consequences.
Results matter.
But let’s move away from the immediate, global scale. Let’s move into the personal, mundane decisions of our everyday lives. If I never correct or train my children, I might claim I did that out of love. But when they grow up to be terrible human beings, I cannot justify the results. If I nag and harangue my loved ones out of a desire to help, my good intentions won’t repair the strained relationships that result.
If I cram my house full of stuff I never use or need, I might claim I did it because I found it on sale or because I want to be prepared. Maybe I want to preserve memories or pass it on to my children. But when I’m swimming up to my eyeballs in debt, or when I pass away and my children are burdened by all my stuff, I cannot justify the results.
If I lie to people in an effort to spare their feelings, I can claim good intentions. But I must also claim the bad results. If I cut corners at work out of a desire to excel, my good intentions won’t pay the bills when I get fired.
Do intentions matter? Absolutely. But intentions cannot wipe away bad results.
So, what then? Here are some simple strategies to help avoid unintended, bad results.
Determine the goal first.
In Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, one of the habits is to “begin with the end in mind.” It’s very difficult to reach an undetermined destination. Many professions hinge success on this concept. Teachers begin planning by asking, “What do I want students to learn?” Financial planners ask people, “What is your goal for retirement?” Builders use blueprints. Scientists begin with a hypothesis. Only after they set the goal do they begin planning.
Imitate the successful.
Seek out the ones who got good results. Find out how they did it. What did they do? What did they avoid? Learn from those who’ve blazed the path ahead of you. As a mother, I find this to be invaluable with parenting. I try to learn from those who have raised responsible, well-adjusted adults. I mimic their methods because I want to replicate their results.
Think through the possible outcomes.
Those in the business world are likely familiar with the decision tree. The decision tree helps people understand the different outcomes that might results from a decision. This process helps people make sound decisions. Full disclosure: I’m a huge proponent of limited government. One of the main reasons is because I often see government try to solve a problem and end up creating more problems by the unintended consequences of their steps to solve the first problem. It’s a vicious cycle. Even if you disagree with my position (and that’s perfectly okay with me; I love you anyway), we’ve all had experiences like this.
Case in point: My daughter was painting last night. When we started to clean, she tried to go faster because she wanted to watch TV. By rushing, she ended up spilling paint on the floor and making a bigger mess. She spent way more time cleaning because she was in a hurry. By thinking through the possibilities before we get started, we can see–and avoid–potential pitfalls.
Cling to your integrity.
If the desired results are simply impossible without compromising your integrity, then you have a choice: good results or the ability to look at yourself in the mirror each day. Always choose integrity. If you’re willing to compromise your ethics or moral code for temporary success, you’ll end up with neither integrity nor good results.
Own up to your mistakes.
The only people who never violate their own conscience are babies and sociopaths. As Alexander Pope wrote, “To err is human.” Ask yourself, when was the last time you admitted a wrongdoing? If you can’t remember, that’s a giant red flag. Owning up to our mistakes is an admission of our own humanity. It requires humility, and that humility helps us realize the need to learn from our mistakes. And what happens when we learn from our mistakes? You guessed it. We get better results.
So if you aren’t getting the results you want, take a moment to examine why. Perhaps you haven’t stopped to think about your goals. Maybe you need a good mentor. Maybe you need to run through some potential outcomes. Perhaps you’ve compromised your integrity and you need to own up to your mistakes. Whatever it is, make the adjustments needed and correct course.
Because results matter.