I hate the term “financial results.” I much prefer to think of/use the alternative “financial outcome.” In my opinion, “financial results” signals a rudimentary ignorance about business, and a subconscious inclination to view/confuse accounting for business. IMHO, accounting is merely the overly weighted metrics placed against one of the hoped-for outcomes of a well-structured business activity: money. Yes, I understand the relative importance of net gain of capital as the life-blood resource, but a case can be made for human capital resources, for intellectual property resources, for perhaps most importantly for customer-mindshare resources as important elements of a more diverse set of requirements to achieve success.
It is with the this admittedly opinionated prejudice, that I find so much to appreciate about the Network Singularity blog post: Peter Drucker Vis-a-Vis Russell Ackoff.
Erroneously or not, I will tend to interpret the interchange described by the two masters as highlighting the importance of the businessman’s sensibilities and ‘thinking’ over the accountant’s quantitative ‘analysis,’ as what has real gravity for the achievement of success in the game of business and even the game of life.