I owe this blog to my wife. Not because she gave me deep philosophical wisdom… but because she had offered to make pancakes.
A Morning That Went… Measured
It all started this morning when my kids demanded pancakes for breakfast. My wife cheerfully took charge while I was still in bed, blissfully cuddling with them. Life was perfect — until I remembered something alarming: my wife never measures ingredients.
Now, I’m a strong believer in the sacred ritual of measuring — cups, spoons, scales — especially when following a YouTube recipe. A missing teaspoon of baking powder? That’s not a small slip, that’s a culinary felony.
So, like a chef on a mission, I leapt out of bed and dashed to the kitchen. Sure enough, she had already mixed the dry ingredients “by feel.” I asked (carefully, for survival reasons) why she didn’t use measuring tools. She smiled and said, “Baby, relax. I’ve always made them this way and they always turn out fine. Don’t get caught up in how I cook — just enjoy the result.”
I tried to protest — “But if results are all that matter, why have processes at all?” — but before I could finish, she handed me the mixing bowl and said, “Great. Then you make the pancakes.” And so I did. And yes, they were good. But that’s not the point.
Because whether it’s pancakes or projects, kitchens or boardrooms, people tend to fall into two camps: The People of the Pudding (results first) and The People of the Process (method matters).
The People of the Pudding: Destination-Only Travellers
This is the majority. They’re the “end justifies the means” crowd — business owners chasing survival, salespeople racing toward quotas, managers under constant pressure to deliver numbers.
To them, spending time on process is a luxury. Why draft SOPs when you could be closing deals? Why document workflows when you could be chasing leads? Their mantras sound like:
- “Get me that deal — hook or crook.”
- “Beg, borrow, or steal — just hit the target.”
They’ll cut corners, bend rules, and occasionally flirt with the unethical, because for them, the destination matters far more than the journey.
The People of the Process: Journey Enthusiasts
The minority. These are the folks who can’t start a task without first setting up the method. They love SOPs, SLAs, KPIs, Six Sigma charts, and Gantt timelines.
They’ll design the PowerPoint template before adding a single bullet point. They’ll set brand guidelines for everything, down to the font size in your email signature. They believe that following a set process creates a nearly guaranteed outcome (nearly — because humans have a way of messing things up).
For them, the journey isn’t just important — it’s the point.
Process vs. Pudding — My Take
For me, it’s the process. Not instead of results, but before results.
Yes, the pudding matters — but the process is the recipe that makes the pudding possible. You can aim for both, but if you ignore the method entirely, you’re gambling with the outcome.
Think about your daily commute. Would you just drive randomly, run every red light, and park wherever you like — just to reach on time? Or would you plan your route, follow traffic rules, and park where you’re supposed to?
If processes had no value, things like Project Management, Six Sigma, and PMP certifications wouldn’t exist.
The Sweet Spot
Hitting a goal is responsibility.
Hitting it without cutting corners is honesty.
Hitting it by following the process? That’s sincerity — and the sweetest kind of success.
For me, even if I follow the process and miss the goal, I sleep guilt-free knowing I was honest and sincere. And if I hit the goal and stuck to the process? That’s not just pudding…
That’s pudding with whipped cream, a cherry on top, and the smug satisfaction of knowing you didn’t burn down the kitchen getting there.
