Monday, July 30, 2012

The Process Is the Product

In any process that culminates with a product, be it the launch of a new business, athletic training for a sporting competition, or a series of rehearsals for a production in the performing arts, the process is the product.

I recently completed a one day, one hundred mile bike ride through the beautiful Central Coast of California, a ride which I organized and founded in 2005. While riding this "Century," the number of miles left to ride before I reached the finish line was always on my mind.  After all, that's the point—the product—to ride 100 miles, correct?  Partially. If I had concentrated only upon reaching the finish line, perhaps I would have missed the taste of salt in the air as I rode along Moonstone Beach in Cambria. Maybe I would not have seen the beauty of the sun casting her shadows through the groves of the ancient oaks along the climb up Old Creek Road. I might have possibly been oblivious to the camaraderie, competition and cadence of the friends I love who rode alongside me.

Yes, completing and finishing the ride was certainly the goal, but that wasn't the only product.  There were many other results of this project.  For me, they included the eagerness and anticipation that I felt as I looked forward to the ride day over the several months that I trained. In addition to the joy of anticipating the ride, I lost fifteen pounds of body weight, gained wind capacity and thus rejuvenated my self-confidence. The 170 other people who rode raised $40,500 to fight ALS, a.k.a Lou Gehrig's Disease. This is the disease which took the life of my brother Larry at age 49.  A sense of community was nurtured among all of the participants as we joined together to be part of something larger than ourselves.

It's the process that is the product, the joy is in the journey.

Here are six things to consider to help you consider your process as your product.  They work for me as I compose music, discipline myself in a new skill or as I lead others in a major project.  Although my particular field is music, I believe that they apply to any discipline, even a bike century.  I am indebted to my teacher Dr. Mark Carlson, for bringing them to my attention.

1. Have Clear Beginnings and Endings:  Without that final finish line, my ride would have been meaningless.  Set clear, challenging goals, BHAGs that you and everyone else will know when they have been obtained. For example, if you want to grow your choir's ability to communicate, why not challenge them to memorize Handel's Hallelujah Chorus this year for the grand finale of your Christmas concert?  You could then use all of that work to perform it flash mob style somewhere fun!

2. Watch for and celebrate Forward Motion:  Congratulate yourself and your group when a small part of your goal has been obtained. "Hey friends, we've now got the first 16 bars of the Hallelujah Chorus  memorized; that's 16 more than we had when we started.  Next week, let's aim to have 32 bars memorized." When I'm riding my bike up certain hill here in South Corona, I keep my eye on my computer/speedometer to ensure that I'm actually "working" out and not just strolling my way up the hill.

3. Keep it Interesting: There are a myriad of ways to do this.  Find someone in your choir who has struggled with memorization in the past but has worked hard and is conquering the Handel. Have them share how they are doing  with the entire group.  Our bike ride asks people who own RVs to serve at the Rest Stops.  I believe that the RV owner's pride in their rigs gives them permission to be more hospitable, engaging and interesting to the riders.

4. Use Building Blocks that Evolve Over Time.  Stories of past victories, songs sung and places performed are the building the blocks that help form the interwoven fabric of a choir.  Every healthy group has these kinds of legends that build community. "I remember the time when the bus broke down and we sang for the people inside the Burger King in which we were stuck for three hours." "I remember when we had an electrical blackout and we were singing We Have Seen the Light and the lights miraculously came back on in the middle of that particular song." Although our bike ride has only been in existence since 2005, we already have legendary stories like "Remember when that lady came out yelling at us with her gun demanding that we move our porta potty, all of that despite the fact that it was placed on public property?"

5. Aim for a Climax:  In athletic training, in music, in the business world, there's always a sense of the "peak" to any endeavor.  Most often, this happens just before the culminating event, but not always.

6. Plan Surprises:  In a choral group, this could be as simple as unexpected food following the rehearsal.  In our bike ride, 140 dozen oatmeal, chocolate chip, and peanut butter cookies—homemade by the people of our sponsoring church—surprised participants accustomed to the corporate sponsored snacks in other rides.

Concerts, contests and other culminating events can seem to be the point of our work.  But they're only part of it.  The process itself is the entire product.  Enjoy that process as you use it to reach your goals.  Find the joy in the journey.