Your intentions genuinely do shape your reality. 

I don’t say this flippantly or with ideas of grandeur. I’m talking about simple and powerful daily intentions that influence your decisions and how you show up for your projects.

As a leader, you may instinctively set intentions without even realising it, or simply believe in holding a positive viewpoint for your team to follow. Neither are bad. But if you want to be a truly effective leader, walk the talk, and cultivate the right environment for your team to thrive - then daily or weekly personal intentions will shift the choices and actions you take with immediate effect. 

What exactly do I mean by that?

Intending to be positive on a day when you are up against huge challenges probably isn’t enough and may even cause you to overlook the important issues. I’m referring instead to a personal intent to be open to frank conversations, or to be more resourceful, or to actively seek new, expert opinions on an issue. It could also be that you decide to give yourself the guilt-free space you need to think straight. Deciding to be more resourceful is a brilliant one for opening your eyes to the abundant resources around you that often go unseen when you have your blinkers on and are laser-focused on resolving a tricky problem. It may prompt you to stop and flick through a magazine or book for inspiration, to ask a colleague about how they overcame a similar challenge, or switch tasks in a team.   

By setting and resetting intentions regularly, you are putting yourself in control of your decision-making capabilities and also helping your team to reframe a challenge and initiate solutions.

It isn’t a selfish act. Quite the opposite.

By creating ideal conditions for leaders such as yourself to make good decisions, you are serving the best interests of your project and making life easier for your team. I would argue that if you start each day on autopilot - responding to your emails, taking spontaneous calls and generally firefighting - you may miss valuable opportunities and unintentionally compromise a key decision. With the right intent, those same actions may lead to different decisions.

I’m a huge advocate for leaders to find their own way to stay in their strong zone and lead with greater conviction. It doesn’t mean that you don’t change your mind about something, but it does mean you know why you are making certain decisions, who you should bring in to negotiate with or assist, and where that decision may lead. There is intent caught up in all of these moves, not to mention agendas and biases. That’s why I think it is so powerful to start with your own clear-headed intention for the day or week. Without it, you will easily be swept along by the needs of the project, team and stakeholders, plus life’s other surprises!     

So, as simple as it sounds, and given that it’s January . . . . perhaps give it a go!

Let me know how it goes. 

I am keen to spark conversations for leaders within the built environment. I have also written a book that is intended as a pragmatic blueprint to support courageous leaders in pursuit of high-quality project outcomes.

Our industry has some amazing opportunities and challenges ahead, that can use collective wisdom. You can check out my new book BUILD SUCCESS or follow me with the links below. 

 Wishing you success.