3 Key Aspects of Intentional Leadership

In our Intentional Leadership class, we focus a great deal on the aspects of leading with purpose. Leaders who act with intention are often those individuals within the organization who demonstrate key characteristics that separate them from others. We talk about making a decision on the type of leader you want to be with most intentional leaders desiring to be significant or having a positive impact on the organization long after they have departed.

While there are many that we discuss during our 3-day class, in this blog, I am going to suggest that there are 3 key aspects or tips that every intentional leader should be focused on improving every single day. They fall into 3 areas: committing yourself to personal growth, the ability to communicate ideas to others effectively and enthusiastically, and a desire to connect with people to achieve common goals. Let’s take a closer look at each:

BEING COMMITTED TO PERSONAL GROWTH:

When you think about the leaders you have admired throughout your career, you probably would be hard-pressed to say you didn’t admire the leader’s ability to show personal growth. In fact, there really is nothing that demonstrates ability to lead others then their ability to effectively lead themselves first. Most intentional leaders will seek information through reading books or articles, listening to podcasts, or watching videos, movies, or documentaries on other leaders. They learn from this information and apply it to their own leadership. These intentional leaders will journal what they learn through their readings, information gathering, and daily interactions and observations so they can “keep score” of how they are doing through self-reflection and self-healing. When I mention self-healing, I’m talking about your ability to get past a setback. The higher you rise in an organization, the less people are available to you to discuss issues or concerns you have about yourself. Finding ways to effectively self-heal is critical to becoming the best leader as well as an intentional leader. 

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY:

Another key aspect of intentional leaders is the fact that they have thought about why they want to be a leader. They know their “WHY” of leadership and can explain it to their people BEFORE they even ask. They enthusiastically demonstrate a commitment to growing others by engaging their people in dialogue, which shows that they listen UP and DOWN the chain of command. Their goal is to ask questions and to LISTEN to LEARN! While you don’t have to be a Winston Churchill who spews amazing rhetoric, you should be able to effectively communicate with your people so they believe you are capable, that you care about them, and that you can provide the direction for them to succeed.

HAVING A DESIRE TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS:

Intentional leaders work hard on their emotional intelligence. They know where they are strong and what aspects they need to improve. Intentional leaders work to earn the trust of their people by showing they trust them to execute the objectives. They know that when they explain the “WHY” before it is asked, that they will likely get a more motivated and exceptional outcome to a problem, task, or goal than if they simply direct the activity. Intentional leaders focus on encouraging their people to learn and grow themselves as professionals and leaders. They foster internal and seek external personal and professional development opportunities they believe will help their people grow AND encourage their people NOT to wait for them to find those opportunities.

These are just 3 key aspects of being an intentional leader in today’s workplace. With four generations occupying a variety of positions up and down the organization, today’s intentional leader is challenged to understand the mindsets and motivations of each. Every person you lead wants to know two things first and foremost: Do you care about them? And can you help them achieve their goals as professionals? Additionally, they look to you as a leader to provide direction through these 3 key aspects of intentional leadership. By focusing on these, you will see tremendous personal growth and professional success.

Have a great rest of your week!

- Dean

NOTE: You can find an Intentional Leadership class to take or request to host one here!