A Leader’s Intent
“When people know the leader’s intent they will rarely fear their action”
-Nathan Jamail, Keynote Speaker, Bestselling Author
As leaders it is imperative that we not only share the why behind our request, but we must share our intent so that our teams don’t fear our actions or even the actual why itself.
Ask yourself these questions
How often, when another person tells you something or asks you a question, do you find yourself wondering, “What’s their angle? Why are they doing this? What are they really wanting?”? I think most people have had these thoughts more often than not, and most likely in reference to their bosses, peers and employees. I believe that the key to leaders getting their employees to embrace their directions, their coaching and their ideas- is to take the time to share your intent before you share your direction or ask of them.
Intent vs micromanaging
A great example in business and in leadership is when leaders ask for activity updates and inquire about future meetings or activities (a ‘whatcha got going on’ inquiry). If an employee does not know a leader’s intent they might assume the leader does not trust them or is just checking up on them (micromanaging). However, if the leader shares their intent of the questions, maybe by saying something like “the intent of my question is to see if there are any issues or any situations that we need to discuss or practice in order to help you have more success and confidence in your meetings next week”- it provides a whole different opportunity for the team member to appreciate the ask, vs resent it. The leader could continue by saying something like, “This isn’t because I think you are doing it wrong, but as your leader my goal is to help you prepare for your next meeting so you can do it better, no matter how good you already do it”.
Never assume
In life and in business I believe one of our greatest weaknesses is that we always assume incorrect motives by others actions (or words) and we leave resentment, doubt and poor judgment to accumulate because we miss a key step in our directions. The best way to remove doubt, confusion and other damaging assumptions is to start with sharing your intent first.
