How intentional is your leadership? Most leaders I know are very much aligned with their vision and purpose, and they understand the value of their resources. But honestly, on a day-to-day basis, how is your leadership intentionality?
I’ve been thinking about this as I write these posts on the urgent need to raise the leadership bar. In Leading with Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, and Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work (Wiley, 2018), author Peter Bregman writes that leaders need to be strategic about their time and energy. They must be effective, and that requires optimal focus. Being fatigued makes this much more difficult. Leaders can’t be busy just to be busy. Their time must count.
An intentional approach focuses on the most beneficial areas, and thinking can be one of them. You find what matters most by recognizing that the things bringing you the most joy are just as important as the things bringing the organization the most benefit. The intention is to pursue both.
Leadership Intentionality Tactics
Joy is important to grow and refresh. It permits you to apply yourself and have a positive perspective in your role. A significant aspect of finding joy is to let go of the things that annoy, frustrate or drain you. Many leaders find doses of refreshment by letting emails go for a while. Take a step back from time to time and let go of worries.
Many leaders get worn down by wasting their time. Ineffective meetings, reports or trips take their toll. Make note of how you spend your effort, and you’ll see how much of it could be more fruitful. Make an intentional decision to change this as much as you can by revising your routine, commitments and habits. How can you reduce frustration and increase joy?
Think about it: Do you spend too much unproductive time on the internet? Are all the meetings you attend necessary? Eliminate time wasters, but don’t obsess over it.
If you want to raise your leadership bar, you must be intentional about your goals and the methods you’ll employ to achieve them. What do you think? How is your leadership intentionality? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
