Leading with Intentionality

Leading with intentionality can drastically impact the potential influence that we can have on others. Intentionality is an art, one that can separate extraordinary leaders from ordinary ones. It allows leaders to silently stand out.

My life has been shaped and molded by people who were intentional in their investment in me: mentors, coaches, teachers, pastors, family, and friends. My gratitude runs deep for their efforts.  It inspires me to model their intentionality.

Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Everything in life and leadership comes down to how we make others feel.  Intentionality is the way to make people feel loved and cared for. 

Intentionality and Direction

Unfortunately, intention doesn’t always determine direction in life. As much as I desire to be intentional, that isn’t always where my leadership GPS takes me. 

Acworth, Georgia is located an hour away from Tennessee and an hour away from Alabama.  I may fully intend to travel to Tennessee, but if the GPS is taking me to Alabama, my direction will not align with my intended point of arrival.

This is a typical struggle for any leader.  We can drift off of our desired destination to be intentional.  We become complacent and coast. When we coast as leaders…we are always headed downhill.     

Here are five thoughts on leading with intentionality:

Randomness

The thing about intentionality is that it is best served randomly.  A good unpredictable act of intentionality can spark great joy in others.

One of the most meaningful things we can do as leaders is deliver the unexpected. It makes people feel special. Simple acts like bringing coffee, biscuits, cookies, or treats to the office or jobsite.  Maybe it’s not food or drinks, it’s just providing unexpected presence on a tough day.

Leading with intentionality is full of randomness.

Planned

It sounds contradictory, but the randomness of intentionality does require an element of planning.          

Random is in the eyes of the recipient, not the issuer. The issuer of intentionality puts great thought into the implementation of randomness. All the little meticulous details that transform an Unexpected Moment into an Unforgettable Memory.

Planning leads to the execution of random. It leads to an extremely special experience for the recipient.

Leading with intentionality involves being planned.

Pure Motives

There are studies that show the human heart can be felt from three to five feet away. Human beings are intuitive creatures and can easily detect the authenticity of another person. 

Motives matter.  Performing intentional acts to achieve selfish outcomes is manipulation.  It is simply disingenuous.   

Intentionality applied with pure motives is a selfless act.  It is simply about others.  The sole motive is to positively disrupt someone else’s day. 

Give it a try.  Watch eyes light up, smiles re-emerge, and hearts regain their rhythm.  An emotional reaction worthy of more commitment to our intentionality. 

Leading with intentionality is grounded in pure motives. 

Studious

Personality assessment tools are extremely helpful to a leader. Whether it is DISC, Myers-Briggs, Working Genius, Five Voices, or Five Love Languages, all of these can greatly assist us in better knowing our people. The results are a cheat sheet to how each of our people are uniquely wired.

It helps us know how they need to be served and communicated to.  Through the process we learn their natural giftedness.  It can teach us their strengths to be capitalized on and the weaknesses to be cognizant of.

Intentional leaders study the people they are entrusted to lead.  Grounded in a genuine desire to learn what makes their people tick.  

Intentional leaders pick up on intuitive queues.  Key details of personal interest are thumbed in phones, written on note pads, and logged away in memory banks.  The names of spouses, how many kids they have, the status of an ill parent, how many creams and sugars they prefer in their coffee, foods they are allergic to, and so many other critical details.

Do we know the stories of the people we lead? Are we asking the right questions to learn?  Do we know the successes, hardships, failures, tragedies and trauma they have walked through in life? Ultimately, do we care to know?

Leading with intentionality requires being studious. 

Thoughtful

Studious sets the stage for thoughtfulness.  Only then, can we understand the little things that make a significant impact.  Purposeful moments that are never forgotten by the beneficiary.    

The next time we engage those we lead, let’s ask about their parent’s condition, how their spouse’s procedure went, how their child’s birthday party went…all by name.  The more aware we are of the specifics of their circumstances, the more thoughtful we can be.  That awareness triggers the hand-written note or word of encouragement that delivers the resulting impact.

Leading with intentionality is thoughtful.

Conclusion

The enemy of intentionality is busyness.  We all possess the ability to be intentional in our leadership, we just lack the availability to do so.

Leading with intentionality can be a great differentiator of our leadership if we can create the space to perform the required acts.  Unfortunately, most of our margins are consumed with chaos, confusion, and circumstances.

As for me, I strongly desire to be an intentional person. In all aspects of my work life, volunteer life, and personal life, I want to be seen as intentional by those I love and care for.

Confession…I fall way short here at times.  I often imagine a world where I free myself up to be intentional with my intentionality.  It’s way better for not only those I’m responsible for leading, but a much healthier place for me as well.    

People motivated by intentionality can move mountains.  In order to better others and the worlds we live in, we must lead with intentionality. 

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