by Katia Lossano Curated by Humahub
Recapping what I have presented so far about the ETHICS Leadership Model (the model was upgraded throughout this process!):
ETHICS: Ethics. Empathy. Trust. Humility.
Now we move on to the 5th attribute of the ETHICS Leadership Model: Intention.
INTENTION
Intention is the leader's why. What he seeks, where he wants to go, his vision. What reasons nourish her/him in this role, in the way the role is played and, in the decisions, made as a leader. We are usually more aware of where our attention is, but not our intention. Our attention is where our mind is. Our intention is where our heart is.
When we don't have clarity of our intentions and why we do what we do, we often act on autopilot, and we may feel lost. This can cause insecurity in those around us and in ourselves. When we have clarity in our intentions, we take safe steps that take us in the direction we want to go, in alignment with our values and what really has meaning to us
Using as a reference the book "Start with the Why" by Simon Sinek, when a leader starts with why, he puts his values and the company's values at the center. Leaders who are connected to the company's mission and purpose inspire greater confidence in employees as they make decisions that focus on the interests of the company rather than their own.
Still following the author, discovering or defining the why is just the first step. The 2nd is how your why impacts the company and the 3rd is about how to ensure you stay focused on your why. Each of these steps is quite challenging for leadership. In a scenario where deadlines are getting shorter, as well as budgets, stopping to think about why may seem irrelevant in the face of other urgent issues to be resolved at that moment.
However, when the leader starts there, chances are high that the decisions, actions, time and money invested are actually in alignment with the company's purpose, and not in the service of putting out fires that continually arise in everyday life and take the focus away from what's really important.
And you, do you know what your intention is?
Reflections on Intention in Leadership:
When was the last time you noticed alignment between your intention and your attention?
How did you feel?
Do you always share your intentions with the people involved?
What happens when you are and when you are not explicit with intentions?
How can you promote more clarity about your intentions with your team?
What in you: a) promotes the possibility of sharing intentions with someone? and b) interrupts the possibility of sharing intentions with someone?
Katia Lossano in partnership with HUMAHUB
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