Dive 74: Outcomes Matter. Intentions Don’t.

Focus on what matters most.

Hey, it’s Alvin!

Good intentions don’t count.

That’s a critical lesson on achieving success that The Simpsons taught in the episode called Hurricane Neddy.

The episode starts with the Simpson family hunkering down in their home as a hurricane sweeps through the town of Springfield. After the storm passes, the Simpsons emerge from their home to find everything intact. Except one thing…

The home of their neighbour, Ned Flanders, was decimated, leaving only the Flanders family tombstones. Luckily, Ned, his wife and his children all survive. Now, homeless, they go stay at a local church while they think about what to do next.

Meanwhile, Marge Simpson secretly gathers all the town’s residents to help rebuild the Flanders home. Because why not? Ned is the undisputed nicest guy in the entire town who doesn’t drink, dance or swear. He didn’t even buy home insurance because he considered it gambling. Everyone loves him. So, they all pitched in.

Later, Marge brings Ned back home to surprise him with his rebuilt house.

And boy, did it surprise him…

Part of the floor was painted dirt because they ran out of tiles.

Loose nails stuck out of walls.

There was a toilet in the kitchen because they were too lazy to carry it upstairs.

And that wasn’t all. But Ned saw enough.

Ned leaves the front door of his new house to see the townspeople gathered on the front lawn. “So, Flanders, what do you think of the house that love built?” Asks Homer Simpson as he gently pats on the wall, causing the entire house to collapse into rubble.

Ned takes off his glasses to wipe them, only to have the right lens fall out and shatter on the ground. He tries hard to keep his composure, reminding himself to “calm down,” “they did their best,” and to “be nice.”

But he just couldn’t take it anymore, leading to this outburst and exchange:

Ned: ah HELL diddily ding dong crap! Can’t you morons do anything RIGHT!?

Marge: Ned! We meant well, and everyone here tried their best.

Ned: Well my family and I can’t live in good intentions, Marge! Oh, your family’s out of control, but we can’t blame you, because you have gooooooooood intentions!

Marge’s Reaction

I think anyone in Marge’s position would react exactly how she did. It’s easy to feel for her.

Imagine pouring your heart, time and effort, trying to help a fellow human being. But your efforts are completely wasted. Now, the person you were helping is screaming at you about your failure.

The result is the exact opposite of what you would hope for.

So, it’s easy to feel frustrated (that nothing worked out) and defensive (from being attacked).

This is a common reflexive reaction when you point out that a person’s well-intentioned efforts didn’t work out…

“I meant well.”

Or…

“It’s the intention that matters most.”

But if you think about it, these are just self-soothing statements. Nobody else cares what your intentions were.

Because here’s the harsh truth that the most successful people learn early on:

Outcomes matter. Intentions don’t.

Ned’s Reaction

Intentions don’t matter.

Because an intention is like a plan.

When someone says they “intend to do something,” it means they “plan to do something.”

When someone says they “meant well,” it means “they planned to do well (but failed in execution).”

But no one cares about the plan. A plan is useless unless it can be executed with success. A bridge blueprint is useless unless someone can build the actual bridge that lets people cross it. An intention is useless unless acted upon. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.”

Ned might sound ungrateful, but he’s right. It doesn’t matter that the whole town poured all their efforts into a new house because it ultimately collapsed back into rubble. His family CAN’T live in good intentions. So, Marge’s good intentions don’t matter.

This is just a reflection of how the world works…

Let’s get down to business.

I’m a software developer. Let’s say, you’re the client who wants me to build feature X in 10 days. On day 11, we have this exchange:

Client: Where’s feature X?

Me: Well, I intended to get it done in 10 days, but I’ll actually need 20.

Client: Why didn’t you tell me earlier?

Me: Well, I wanted to tell you earlier, but I forgot. Look, I made you feature Y instead.

Client: I don’t need feature Y. I need feature X.

Me: Well, I thought feature Y would be good for you, too. I meant well…

No one cares about your good intentions in business, or really… in real life. Because if you want to make a positive difference in the real world, you need to achieve a positive outcome in the real world. You need to act. And your actions must add value.

Effort isn’t enough. You need extra effort to ensure your efforts get you closer to your goals.

It means taking the time to understand what someone needs. And then more time to plan, analyze, design, and implement a solution that won’t come crashing down in the slightest breeze.

It’s also risky. Because there’s always a chance that your efforts will be wasted if your solution doesn’t work out. Or worse, if your solution causes harm. You might fail.

Making a positive difference takes value-adding sacrifice. Good intentions don’t. That’s the difference.

“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

- Greek Proverb

I often see people on the internet who say that “it’s the intentions that count.” I get it. They probably tried to make a difference, failed, and want points for effort. Maybe that’s how it worked in school. But that’s not how it works in the real world.

Even if you could get points just for effort, they are not a source of pride or satisfaction. Scoring only effort points is a reason for shame—shame that meaningful results weren’t achieved.

There’s a reason today’s politicians are hated so much. There’s a reason they’re call liars. It’s because politicians are full of intentions but devoid of results.

I didn’t just sit back and “intend” to start my newsletter. I poured my time, effort, and heart into every edition so readers will get something of value out of it. It’s risky to put my ideas out there. Especially the controversial ones. But it’s only because I put myself out there that I can build powerful relationships with my loyal readers.

You can make a positive difference. Just remember:

Outcomes matter. Intentions don’t.

Make it happen.

Reply to belowthesurfacetop@gmail.com or click Message Alvin if you have questions or comments. I’d love the hear from you.

Thank you for reading. Actualize those outcomes. And I’ll see you in the next one.