Intent → Action → Impact
How you approach a situation directly influences the actions you take. Your intent drives your impact. For example, it is challenging for some of my clients to engage in difficult or confrontational conversations. What made these engagements challenging for them is less about the subject and more about the feelings and thoughts they brought to the conversation. Because they approach these with the intent to defend their ground, they thrawt the impact on the mutual success of the conversation. They had an outdated personal narrative blocking their ability to hear the other person’s perspective which limited the potential outcomes.
Where does your intent originate?
How you interact with other people matters. Why? The foundation of relationships is trust, and your actions either contribute to the shared trust or debit from it. As Steven Covey noted, “Trust is the new currency of our new interdependent, collaborative world.” Leaders who see “I to I” with others approach situations with a curious stance. They look not only at what they are bringing and how they can leverage it for their benefit, but they also seek to learn and understand other perspectives in an effort to create a mutually successful outcome. Your intent originates from your feelings and thoughts, experiences and environment. Effective leaders embrace a growth mindset, and they consciously adjust their intent by first pausing to notice any bias or obsolete narratives that might derail mutual success. Avoid just reacting with a fight or flight response, misaligned to your desired impact. How you act impacts others.
Align your intent with your impact!
What are the direct and indirect results of your actions? With 6 degrees of separation and many onlookers in our digital world, your actions can have a cascading impact like the ripples in a lake. Consider how you influence others as a leader. The weight and quality of our intent multiplies your impact. Therefore, before you just act, develop the practice to pause, acknowledge your feelings, and notice your intent. Consider your initial thoughts and feelings. Remember, your intent drives your impact. Question if your bias or and obsolete narrative is distorting your thoughts. Balance your intent with the right measure and quality of action. Because when you align your intent with your impact, you will be better prepared to see “I to I” with others.
