A while ago I was flying home from San Francisco after working with an amazing client in the bio-pharma industry as I reflected on why being intentional is important for leadership development.
As I sat on the plane, I thought about the conversations that preceded and followed my presentation and had to smile as I realized I had just spent three hours of my journey in the presence of greatness, as I spent time with an extraordinary leader, whom I admire and respect.
I was reminded of something that we all have a tendency to forget in the midst of our busyness, adversity, triumph, and challenges:
Success in being a high-impact coaching leader is not about having the best intentions… it is about being intentional.
We can have the greatest intentions in the world, have the biggest hearts, and be extremely compassionate and inspiring… but if we are not intentional about how we put all of that to use then we will never realize our potential as leaders nor will we serve our people at the highest level possible.
Leadership development is not something we can revisit “when the time is right”. There is no such thing.
It is about what we are doing right now to make tomorrow better.
The impact you have as a leader extends well beyond the boundaries of work. They take it home with them.
It is critical for you to understand the significance of the role you play as a leader in the lives of your people, their families, their friends, and all of the other lives they touch.
Coaching Practice:
- Identify a leadership intention that you have but are not acting on
- Figure out what is keeping you from acting on it
- Write down the first intentional thing you are going to do about it
- Keep it at front-of-mind and execute… Do whatever you have to in order to make it work!
- Repeat
This was originally published as a weekly newsletter from Ed Molitor, with The Molitor Group. If you’d like to receive the weekly newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.
