Declaring an Intention

Would you like a simple method to increase your leadership impact this year?

Many leaders, and people in general, start off with a New Year Resolution approach of I will “fill in the blank with a huge feat here“.  Often the challenge with this is that it feels like a chore and a change requiring major effort.

There is also a widespread belief that change has to be hard.  When working with clients I explain that it is all in how you approach it.  How you create the space to grow and change is what makes the difference.  What I have found works well, is declaring one intention that has more of a qualitative feel to it.  And, that one qualitative intention or leadership quality is kept in focus for the year.

So, here is a method to make 2018 a great leadership year:

 1.  Take some time to reflect on what would make the most difference in your leadership impact this year. You may also want to inquire with others or review any 360 feedback as you consider this.

2.  Distill this information into a quality that will create the greatest leverage for you.  Examples could be:

a. connection – I am fully present in meetings and others know that I have heard them by the way I conduct myself; I am learning about what is important for them and how to best work together.

b. empowerment – I am inspiring others to create ideas and solutions while supporting them; I provide my thoughts and direction only when that information is essential to the team.

c. trust – I am consciously building trust in relationships, increasing delegation and acknowledging how both results and relationships are evolving.

d. courage – I am stretching myself and my boundaries to take more risk.

e. navigating uncertainty – I am stepping into opportunities where I do not have the answers; I am becoming more comfortable with not knowing and collaboratively working with others to create the way forward.

You get the idea, so now consider what that qualitative intention is for you.

3.  Once you have chosen the intention that will make the most difference in your leadership this year, start each day, week and month considering how that might show up for you and be deliberate about it. Make it part of your daily/weekly calendar review and your monthly objectives to be conscious about your application.

4.  At the end of each day, week and month reflect on your progress both from a capability and leadership impact perspective.  You can even do this daily on your commute home.  It doesn’t have to require a massive effort, only a conscious practice so you can notice your evolution, what is working and what you may want to change.

This strategy is about declaring one intention that you actively incorporate into your business day and reflect on regularly.  Leaders are often overachievers, so challenge yourself to choose only one, not multiple intentions. Choose the intention that will create the greatest leverage in your leadership.

So, what intention is going to make the biggest difference in your leadership impact this year?