The Intentional Leader
Are you the type of person who has it all under control? You’ve mastered the art of balancing your personal life and your professional life. You are always on time to meetings at work and never late to parent teacher conferences. You are fulfilled in every area of your life and have the energy to get out of bed because you know that there are so many awesome opportunities awaiting you. If you’re hitting it out of the park consistently in every area of your life, congratulations – You are part of an elite few! If you’re not living that life, congratulations, you are like the majority of us!!! You are not alone, and as an added bonus, you can make some shifts that will allow you to be a Rock Star at life!
Leadership exists in your professional life as well as your private life. It’s about how you show up, and how you influence others. We’ve talked about intentions before, but let me give you a refresher on why intentions are so vital. When we are leading a life that does not align to our values, we feel unfulfilled and out of alignment. It’s easy to fall out of alignment when you don’t focus on your values and live in ways that reflect those values. Intentions are the things you put in place to live out your values- it’s like a roadmap. They are ways of remembering your values in the way that you show up. When you do not set intentions or do not have a plan for how you show up, you often fall of the path. You then are more likely to be at the effect of life and not the cause. When you are at the effect of life, you are thrown off by every perceived obstacles or threat. To truly lead in life, you have to be an Intentional Leader.
When you lead by happenstance as opposed to intention, your business will reflect that. Your family life, your friendships, will all be left up to chance. If you want real results, real relationships, you have to be intentional about your life. You have to evaluate your values. What matters to you? What do you stand for? You have to start making those conscious choices to show up as a leader, shifting from catabolic to anabolic. You can’t leave it up to chance or you will never see opportunities, only obstacles.
Many years ago, after I completed my MBA and became a certified Professional in Human Resources, I was eager to find a job in my field. I was working as a manufacturing manager at the time. Most of my colleagues back then and even some people that I called friends, told me that it was less than smart to move into HR. “Why would you want to go into HR? HR is for those who can’t manage teams, so they teach about it. You’ll never get to a corporate role, you’re in manufacturing.”
There are several reasons why I never bought into the negativity. One of the primary reasons is because I knew what I was here for. I knew that if I was to remain in this particular company, I needed to help managers become better leaders. I was a great leader. My team to this day still keeps in touch with me. Despite me being a great manager, that wasn’t enough. My work in life has always been about service to other people. I valued it. I valued helping people. If I had the secret sauce to leadership, I wanted to share it. I wanted everyone to win. Because of that, I never for one moment doubted that I would get to my “dream job”. When I was a manager, I showed up in a way that was authentic, and I shared insights and learnings with my employees. I communicated, openly with them, as well as my peer managers. Some didn’t appreciate my honesty, but that’s ok. I needed to be exactly who I am. Because I valued service to others and having people feel included and aware, my intentions were to empower everyone that I came in contact with. Since I was able to show so many strengths in the role that I wanted to be in, I was able to make that career move. Hiring managers were able to feel my passion as well as see the results that I attained, even if I didn’t have the exact experience they were looking for.
Some would choose to look at their current circumstance as an obstacle, but I didn’t, it was my opportunity. It can be that way for you too. In the midst of any storm in life, the very thing that wants to hold you back, and tear you down, can very well be your opportunity to succeed. If you want to be a Rock Star in your life, and turn your obstacles into opportunities and become an Intentional Leader, let’s chat!