What do you want out of life? Knowing what it is you want and planning to achieve it gives you enormous leadership potential. People like to follow others with a take-charge attitude and a vision of where they want to go. To achieve this elusive state, you need to get mindful. What are your intentions for this week, month, year? How do you want your business to grow? What specific actions will you take to actualize those hopes? It’s worth it to take time to reflect daily and weekly to stay on track with your goals. Here’s how setting intentions makes you a high-impact leader.
This article is sponsored by Bosstrack.
1. It Bridges the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
How many dreams have you made and discarded? Every new year, countless people intend to do magnificent things — lose 50 pounds, finish a novel or launch a business. Many of them forget about their goals by the time the groundhog sees his shadow.
Others turn obstacles into excuses, forgetting that it’s easier to ride the waves than try to swim against the current. You might be one of those “Oh, I would be an artist if I only had the time” types. Is there anything to stop you from painting after work instead of collapsing on the couch and surfing Reddit until long past bedtime?
Perhaps the secret sauce is that it takes more than intention to bring about change. Research around behavior change shows that it also requires establishing habits and systems that move you closer to your goal. For example, if you want to take up running each morning, it helps if you set out your shoes and workout gear the night before. It makes it easier to remember your new habit in the morning when your sneakers scream, “Hey, you! Over here! We’re ready to go!”
So if being intentional with your habits can help you reach your personal goals, it follows that the same is true in your professional life. Want to be an impactful leader? Be intentional about doing the things that will get you there. One example is starting your day by setting intentions and practicing gratitude. If you keep a journal for these thoughts, set it out where you’re sure to see it in the morning – on your bedside table or next to the coffee pot.
Living and leading with intention entails implementing such systems to reach your goals.
2. It Teaches You the Value of Emotional Intelligence
Living and leading with intention means learning that bulldozing others isn’t the best way to get them to comply with your vision. They may obey you while you remain in earshot if you have power over them. However, the minute you turn your back, they’ll seek ways to undermine or escape your overbearing hand.
Emotional intelligence refers to your ability to perceive and handle challenging emotions, both in yourself and others. For example, a supervisor lacking this ability might order everyone back to the office regardless of the ramifications it has for their ability to manage life. An emotionally intelligent manager would speak with employees who needed to continue such accommodations to support their physical or mental health needs.
3. It Helps You Field Distractions
Distractions fly at you like so many pesky gnats throughout your day. You can’t help but stop, notice and at least wave at them, derailing you from your other plans.
However, leading and living with intention keeps your eyes on the prize. Yes, maybe you have to stop and deal with uncooperative technology. However, when your computer goes on the fritz, you put on your thinking cap and find another way to finish that day’s most urgent tasks. You set up your home office to maximize productivity, taking actions like muting your cellphone as a matter of course to improve your focus.
4. It Inspires Others to Follow You
Finally, living and leading with intention inspires others to follow you. Remember, everyone experiences insecurities they try to hide. On the other hand, you are confident enough to say, “I don’t know the answer right now, but let’s see if we can figure it out together.”
Often, people wander adrift, going through their days as a matter of habit without much mindfulness. You can inspire by taking charge, seeing what needs to be done and plotting a course to get there.
How Living and Leading With Intention Makes You an Impactful Leader
Living and leading with intention makes you a more impactful leader. It inspires others to follow you and demonstrates your emotional intelligence. It makes you look like a trusted sail to take your team through any storm.
Now that you understand how living and leading with intention can transform your life, what is it you hope to accomplish? Get busy fleshing out those long-term goals and making a plan of action for achieving them.
For more leadership tips, please visit thebosstrack.com. Bosstrack creates courses, content and community to give new women leaders a safe and uplifting space to learn and grow to be the next CEO. We believe that leading authentically, supporting each other, and taking care of ourselves are at the core of effective and impactful leadership. Bosstrack provides valuable community and learning through our courses, programs, weekly newsletter, online community, local in-person events and our weekly podcast – Her HypeSquad with Bosstrack (which you can find on Apple, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts).
Mia Barnes
Mia Barnes is a lifestyle writer with an interest in healthy relationships, and of course all things…life! She is also the Editor-in-Chief at BodyMind.com.
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