You’re on a tight schedule. No time to waste and little time to fit something more into your busy life. You race to the grocery store to pick up a few items and race back home in time for your next call. Suddenly you feel the coming of hunger pains. Thank goodness you went food shopping when you did. Although you forgot a few essentials you were planning on to ease those lunch time hunger pains. Does this sound familiar. You’re not alone.

I did a bit of research and discovered that over 50 percent of food shopping is unplanned. What does that say about our intention? Or for that matter, our effectiveness in budgeting groceries. How much time have you invested by not having a grocery list prepared and a clear intention about what you’ll eat? It’s happen to me, so I know first-hand. Yet would you lead a line of business without an intention?

I’m Byron Darden and I want to welcome you to another addition of Leading with Purpose on Purpose. Today we’re going to talk about intention.

I recently attended a fireside chat for woman of color by woman of color. Empowering Authentic Corporate woman. Five women, five inspiring stories that spoke to the need for intentionality when you have your eye on the next executive move you want to make toward the C-Suite in your career. I was inspired by the stories many of these women shared about being a scientist in an environment dominated by men. The challenges overcome by women who struggle with Dyslexia and yet find a way to thrive. The story of increasing representation of black women in industry. And the heartbreaking wakeup call about the distinction between a mentor and a sponsor, the latter of which holds significant benefits when navigating the corporate ladder.

I invite you to take a closer look at who these women are and why their stories matter to us all. And while you’re exploring, take time to learn more about Intentionality. The third installment of my series on the Executive Voice. Enjoy!

Intentionality is being about something. It is the deliberate performance of an action executed consciously and with one’s full awareness. Essentially intentionality can be summed up in four words, “on purpose with purpose.” So, what does this mean?

Suppose that you were in a meeting about a big project. Your boss discusses the purpose, due date, and why upper management believes it is essential. By the end of the meeting, you are excited about the project and a bit unclear about what you should do next. Likely, your boss was not intentional in their directions. When you come out of the meeting with clear action steps, timelines, and responsibilities, your boss has clarified the project’s intentions.

While being intentional, consider the impact of your thoughts, words, and actions. One can intentionally harm, yet that is certainly not the goal of an insightful leader.

Intentionality is a recipe for a successful business and a well-prepared meal. It is crucial to remember that leading with a purpose on purpose will carry you just as far as preparing a meal with the correct recipes, proper ingredients, ample time, and focus on what happens when and for how long.

Since intentionality’s prime components are based on mental categories, our beliefs, awareness, and desires can be socially evaluated for their impact on assessing blame and responsibility.

Being intentional is about bringing focus and attention to the task at hand. It’s getting clear on the results – the how and the why. It allows you to build trust, create space for others, recognize contributions, and achieve goals.

Being intentional is also about being your true self. Get clear on what you want and pinpoint your purpose. Determine your values and limits. When life throws you lemons, will you make lemonade or throw the lemons back? Becoming clear on your beliefs and feelings will make bringing focus much more accessible.

As a leader striving to be more purposeful, you want to remember a few things. To get the engagement, we will want to put forth the effort. A keynote speaker rarely speaks off the cuff. They may allow room for improvisation at specific points in their presentation. Yet most improvisation is carefully rehearsed in our intentional preparation for thinking on our feet, being in the moment, and simply remaining present to whatever is around us. That way, we can easily use the world around us because we are steeped in the present moment.

When you strive to be a more intentional leader, think about development in these areas:

1. Approach each situation with a clear mission, goals, objectives, and priorities: Know the big picture and why your team should care.
2. Control the speed of the decision: Ensure you have the facts and opinions of others before making a final decision. This is where you give your team a say and get buy-in. This is also a time when you shine. It’s perfectly acceptable to step back and clarify details as needed rather than heading off in a direction based on the heat of the moment.
3. Keep lines of communication open: Conversations and relationships among your team ebb and flow. Emotions, feelings, and thoughts all factor into the process. As an intentional leader, you are aware and react with mindfulness.

My parent company is Triple Axel, the name of a jump in figure skating and adapted to a triad of what you think, say, and do. According to Consultant and Business Coach David Meltzer, these are three of the five levels of intention. Let’s take a look at them.

1. What you do: Follow up with actions and ensure those actions align with your feelings, beliefs, thoughts, and words.
2. What you say: Becoming intentional with our words is about controlling their impact. Consider how the recipient might respond. Say what you mean and mean what you say.
3. What you think: Beliefs lead to the formation of thoughts. We have many thoughts each day; not all are positive or helpful. Intention lies in sorting these thoughts and controlling which ones come from our mouths.
4. What you believe: Beliefs are formed from feelings and our personal experiences. We have underlying subconscious beliefs that serve as our guide and limiting beliefs that do not serve us. It’s essential to examine our beliefs to discover how valid and valuable they truly are.
5. What you feel: This is your intuition – that ache in your gut that screams, “Run!” or “Go for it!”. When we learn to listen to our gut, we can connect to our inner guidance.

Intentionality seeps through into each aspect of our leadership experience. Not only do we strive to become intentional with our feelings, beliefs, thoughts, words, and actions, we can cultivate these in our employees. We do this by creating a culture of continuous improvement. Here are a few ideas to put this into action.

• Lead by example: Set your intentions and encourage your team to do the same.
• Communicate regularly: Be clear in your requests and ask for input from your team. Encourage participation from all members.
• Empower employees: Happy employees are the ones that feel heard. Be aware of your team’s thoughts and feelings and address issues as they arise.
• Small steps lead to big success: While focusing on the big picture, it’s essential not to forget the process. Minor, incremental improvements are critical to the end result.
• Celebrate successes: Results achieved through continuous improvement should be celebrated.