The Value of Intention Setting

What’s the value of intention setting? Well, for starters let’s define it. It is a process used to reach a specific goal or outcome. The aim is to increase the likelihood of achieving said intention by putting your thoughts and energy toward the desired outcome. 

How does it work? There are actually a number of ways you can approach intention setting. You can leverage meditation, visualization, or even personal affirmations. The key, however, is identifying a specific goal and then focusing your thoughts accordingly. 

My coachees are encouraged to set intentions when I commence working with them. We want everything we work on together to be aligned with an overarching theme: an intention. Do you want to earn 20% more this year? Do you want to improve your executive presence? Are you ready for that next step in your career? 

While goals may be finite, intentions are holistic. It lives and breathes with you – and you let it be the guide in your decision-making. Intention setting can help you better understand your own goals and priorities. And once you visualize and verbalize them, you’re more motivated to achieve those goals.

There are even physiological benefits to intention setting: Having clear intention(s) can decrease stress and anxiety – a sought-after goal in this day and age. Further, intention setting can revitalize your motivation, fuel your purpose, and boost your confidence. Research shows that human intention can have a profound impact on physical reality, so it really is worth the hype. 

*To intention(ing)*

Creating Confidence Through Action

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

Nearly every single person can relate to an experience of feeling intimidated. And what’s important to realize is that intimidation can quickly lead to negative self-talk, which can quickly lead to hesitation, second-guessing, and depleted confidence.

The best way to counter insecurities — or the fear of inferiority— is to practice mindfulness and actions to create confidence. Confidence can be increased and most notably, it can be increased in adulthood.

Research shows that women tend to be less confident and undervalue their competence, while men tend to overshoot their competence, which is directly linked to their high levels of self-confidence. The short and sweet psychological reasoning of it is this: girls observe the benefits received from people-pleasing and good behavior at a young age. They also see boys rough-housing and getting into trouble. This conditioning leads our girls to take fewer risks and consequently teaches them little about resilience in the process. The kicker? Resilience is a confidence builder. Conversely, boys get daily doses of resilience as they learn to accept criticism and consequence.

If you are a man you may think of the times you were reprimanded growing up. If you are a woman, you may relate to the narrative of ceasing “poor behavior” to keep your good grades, reputation, and likability intact. But what is seen to be important in childhood, such as being a well-behaved child, actually can set the stage for less success in adulthood. Research shows that confidence matters as much as competence to achieve promotions, raises, and even contentedness.

This means that as a people manager, we must encourage all within our teams to explore their confidence and guide the process. In order to create an inclusive climate, leading to better team cohesion, innovation, and productivity, discussing confidence is important.

You will likely find that based on the psychological undertones just briefly discussed here, women will benefit most from confidence creation, and men will learn their predispositions — demonstrating to all team members that there is room for personal growth and professional development. Consider sharing not only the science behind confidence (more can be read about the confidence gap by authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman) but provide the tools to your team to practice confidence builders.

As a starting point, ask team members what confidence means to them. More specifically, what does a “confident you” look like? ​

Second, ask team members what this confident person behaves like and what this person accomplishes.

Third, what does this person look like, and how does he or she present themself?

Envisioning what ​it is a person wants provides an opportunity for clarity. It also presents an opportunity to recognize areas for growth. In addition to this grounding visualization exercise, provide team members with resources — such as confidence tips and education. I provide weekly confidence hacks here on my company’s Instagram page.

Cheers to a more confident you — have a good week.

Today is the Day (to be an awesome boss)

If you have a team, and you are earnest in your desire to be an effective leader, keep fighting the good fight. It is proven that engaged employees (those that have a sense of meaningfulness, feel safe in their place of work, and know their superior is available) put forth discretionary effort which reflects well on you and the team as a whole.

Perhaps you do not have time to read the latest empirically backed study about just what makes a manager successful. But what you do have is a couple minutes to chow down on simple – undoubtedly sound – reminders.

Trust.
Does your behavior increase and support trust? This is a non-negotiable. If you want a transparent team dynamic, where members feel psychologically safe, trust is paramount. Be your word.

Belief.
Do you believe that your people are capable? Make one adjustment to your day that encourages a person (or multiple people) on your team to take ownership of a process or task. Empowering your team is not about micromanaging the process along the way. It’s quite the opposite. It is about watching them thrive on their own and being nearby for assistance when you are needed.

Integrity.
I recently read an article about Warren Buffett’s philosophy on integrity. In brief, if your behavior was published in a newspaper every day, would you be pleased with what you read? Would you be proud that your family and friends receive the same paper? To me, this take-away is powerful. Strive to be the best version of yourself, with integrity as a guiding principle.

Humility.
When you trip over your ego you are on a path to alienate your team and set a reputation that is hard to correct. Knowing that you do not always have the answer - and giving credit to its rightful owner - is a strength, not a weakness. I liken the ability to be humble as the ability to truly listen to what a person is suggesting; are you gathering information effectively? Are you assessing the facts accurately? Humility is the antidote to delusion!

First published on LinkedIn

Changing "Me First," to You, First.

It’s a “me first” society. I’d even argue our self-centered approach is worsening; from entitlement, to straight up narcissism, the absence of humility and selflessness is becoming systemic. It’s finding ways into every corner of our lives, including the workplace.

Robert Greenleaf crafted the phenomenon of servant leadership over 40 years ago. Empirical research has since been completed to identify not only what servant leadership should ideally be, but what it looks like in practice.

I am a proponent of not only adopting the behavioral components of servant leadership but honestly believe the ripple effect of servant leadership is incomparable.

Servant leadership is about others. From attentive listening to empathizing and nurturing, servant leadership focuses on developing each person’s full potential. From my viewpoint, the most powerful part of servant leadership is the desire to put followers first, empowering them in the process.

I am not saying you should forget about your needs, but instead, understand the principles of servant leadership to grasp the associated benefit (for you and for others!). One of the critical elements of servant leadership is ethical and sustainable behavior. Meaning, servant leaders not only lead with ethics as the cornerstone of their decision-making, but make an exerted effort to be concerned for those with less fortune. Are there inequalities and injustices in the workplace? As a servant leader, your goal is to try to remove them; this transcends beyond daily leadership and into global influence.

The essential piece to servant leadership is the ability to empower. As a leader, you shift authority to those you are leading. Helping team members be self-sufficient and make decisions on their own builds followers’ confidence. Sharing control is monumental. How do leaders lose their way? Power. Control. Egocentrism. By providing freedom and encouragement to employees to handle difficult situations, they buy into the notion that their decisions affect others. As a result, he or she become motivated and accountable members of the organization.   

The focus here is on the leader’s behaviors; the north stars are empathy, placing followers’ needs first, helping followers succeed, behaving ethically, empowering, and creating value for the community. Why is servant leadership worth investigating? Outcomes of servant leadership include an increase in follower performance and growth, improvement in organizational performance, and societal impact.

Having a deeper understanding of servant leadership allows you to determine if this approach is right for you. If you’re interested in testing your current servant leadership capabilities, send me a note.