The means, definitely. For me anyway. I already found the end without a meaningful means to it, is practically a shell and that's all we get for it.

The means. You could decide you’re going to end up being a millionaire. You could achieve this by working hard at school, going into higher education, getting a well-paid job, living within your means and saving what you can. You could also achieve this by robbing a bank, or becoming a slum-lord, or ripping people off on the internet. Same end: very different means.

they are equally important, but a bigger problem for me is that people frequently don't see that their means do not work for the end that they claim to want (however noble that may be) and they will not adjust course

The right start?

Nowadays, the means.

It depends. Sometimes the means can have a greater effect/impact than the ends. In that case the means are more important. Sometimes they're equal. Sometimes the ends are more important.