Let's Be Intentional

“We wanted Nike to be the world’s best sports and fitness company. Once you say that, you have a focus. You don’t end up making wing tips or sponsoring the next Rolling Stones world tour.” – Philip Knight, Founder, Nike

We are halfway through January, and it’s time to get serious about your intentions for your business. Have you thought about what you want to accomplish this year? Where do you want your business to go? What do you need your business to do in order for you to have what you want? If you haven’t put pen to paper and figured out your business road map, your intentions, the time to take action is now.

So what is an intention anyway? How is it different from a goal? An intention is a tool that you use to drive the actions you take in your business. It’s a constant presence in your daily operations. Goals are lines in the distant future sand. You either cross over them or you don’t, and often you measure your success or failure based on that one moment.

An intention is more of a living thing. It is the concept through which you drive all your actions. An intention causes you to look at everything about your business that will have to stretch, adapt and produce in order to accomplish it. And an intention encourages you to celebrate all the breakthroughs along the way.

So where do intentions come from?

1. Intentions are future-based. This means they come from an idea about future performance, about where the company would have to be in order to give you what you want. Intentions are not based on past performance, or past mistakes. We create intentions based on what we want the situation to be.

2. Intentions are born from possibilities. No matter what the circumstances are, there is always a possibility for your business. Possibilities transcend circumstances, and are the spark that can ignite necessary change. Intentions come from the ability to identify possibilities for your business.

3. Intentions should deliver what you want. If you want your revenues to be $5mm and for you to be able to take off two months a year, an intention that will only lead to $1mm in revenue is not the right intention. Your intentions must be directly tied to what you want.

4. Intentions are the tools that dictate your actions. Once you are clear on your intentions, every action you take in your business should be an action that will play a role in delivering on that intention. You must remain accountable to that intention. The intention becomes your partner in making the daily decisions that move your business forward.

5. Intentions create access to breakthroughs. Intentions force you to consider new ways of doing things, to imagine what’s possible, to focus on what you need to deliver. When business people are operating in that state of looking at what’s possible, of getting above the problems, breakthroughs occur. You can see that change produces results, and the more often you produce results, the more committed you become to your intention.

What are your intentions for your business? Do you have any? Are they your partners in your daily actions? Will they give you what you want? If you would like some help developing intentions for your business, give us a call. We are masters at finding possibilities where they don’t seem to exist. We’ll help you sharpen the tools that will create change in your business in 2011 and set you on a path to win the game.

Are you ready to win?