Lead with Intention

September 21, 2024

Leadership is a fluid process, shaped by shifting priorities, unexpected challenges, and constant demands. Skillfully navigating this landscape requires a strategy that encompasses role clarity, balanced responsibilities, and a clear sense of purpose. Whether you’re leading a team or an individual contributor, these foundational elements serve as a guide for how you approach your work with intention and focus.

Though not always an agreed-upon mindset, mine is one that values moving forward by moving backward and then forward. It requires continually revisiting the fundamentals of things like where you place your feet when golfing or practicing yoga. In doing so, you decide how you want to manage your process and influence your development, be it independently or with the help of a teacher, trainer, or coach. 

Put differently, intentional leaders are purposeful in both what they do and how they do it. Their success involves regularly revisiting and refining goals, acknowledging wins and losses, and recognizing both strengths and areas of weakness. It’s what turns insights into new realities and what takes you and your business from good to great.  

This doesn’t happen by chance and leaders don’t lead in isolation—they intentionally engage in relationships and solicit honest and constructive feedback regarding their organizational leadership. They look to trusted resources, such as their team, colleagues, and professional coaches for input and without whom their leadership could be misguided, like a golfer without a pro or yogi without an instructor. 

Whether striving to be a better athlete or a better leader, the ongoing effort to maintain a solid foundation is essential to your growth and success. Perfection is not the goal, despite what you might think. What is, however, is the effort to do as you would when on your yoga mat—grounding yourself, breathing, and focusing.

Grounding: When grounded, you have a stable foundation from which to handle challenges and the unexpected. In yoga, this means adjusting your foot positioning for different poses, while in leadership, it means having well-defined core values and goals.

Breathing: During periods of heightened physical and emotional exertion, you may feel breathless. In yoga, this may happen when holding challenging poses and can be alleviated by taking deep, intentional inhalations and exhalations. The same applies to leadership—when leaders are mindful of their breath, they are also actively working to maintain their composure and professionalism.

Focus: Distractions challenge your ability to focus and interfere with your ability to follow through on what you're set out to achieve. In yoga, instructors prompt you to focus on a Drishti, a single point, to help maintain balance. For leaders, this translates to intentionally focusing on key objectives despite the many distractions that can pull your attention elsewhere.

Yogis, golfers, and leaders have distinct differences, but they share key similarities: foundational skills that weaken with neglect and strengthen with attention. There are no shortcuts; without proper grounding, attention to breathing, and ongoing focus, progress will be limited while continually honing these fundamentals leads to more complex achievements. 

There is no single path to reaching your potential, but there are many ways to discover it. Remember—being grounded takes patience, breathing is a continual practice, and focus requires the willingness to refocus again and again. Stay committed and strive to continually enhance your yoga practice, improve your golf game, and lead with intention.