Skills Developed from The Art of Intentionality

 

 

The Leadership Series

 

 

In the last article – Leadership and The Art of Intentionality – we laid the groundwork for why you should be intentional where leadership is concerned. Indeed, it is a core and fundamental quality that leads to the rest. The Art of Intentionality, when executed in your leadership endeavors, however, will also build up specific skills in the leader.

That’s what this article explores. More specifically, those skills (in order) are focus, discipline, strategy, optimism, decisiveness, resilience, and innovation.

What follows, then, is an expose of the various skills and how being intentional about leadership develops them.

Let’s get to it.

 

NOTE: This article is part 5.1 of a series on Leadership here at The Wealthy Ironworker

1. Leadership, Management, and The Skilled Trades
2. The 4 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
3. Leadership and The Task-Oriented Trades
4. Situational Leadership and the Skilled Trades
5. Leadership and The Art of Intentionality
   1. Skills Developed From The Art of Intentionality
6. Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
   1. Skills Developed From Emotional Intelligence
7. Leadership and Humility
   1. Skills Developed From Humility
8. Leadership and Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
   1. Skills Developed From Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
9. Skills Developed Overall in the Leadership Process

***The above is subject to change as this series expands***

 

The Art of Intentionality and Focus

 

The first one we look at is focus.

Focus – as defined by Oxford Languages – is defined as “the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition.”

When you’re intentional with leadership, you are, in a very real sense, focused. You have to be – there’s no way around it. What’s more, no one wants a leader who isn’t focused – how does that help the job or anyone?

You already know the answer: it doesn’t.

As you’re in a position of leadership, you begin to focus on the tasks at hand. You see what needs to be done, in what order, and you plot a course to help you get things done. You begin to assign levels of importance to various tasks. You start to allocate talent to where it can be best applied. You study other leaders, ask for advice, glean by watching what others do (including what they do poorly), and make mental notes. You schedule things to the best of your ability, with other people considered, in the pursuit of not just completing work but also making it fulfilling. The reason? When people are invested in what they do, the quality of work is better – for both the task and the person.

And so on.

Do you recognize what’s taking place? Can you see the intentionality happening? Your focus is growing as a result. It’s a natural byproduct of being intentional. You cannot separate one from the other. IF you are being intentional about being a good leader, you WILL increase and grow your focus.

And as your focus grows, so does your discipline.

 

The Art of Intentionality and Discipline

 

Dictionary.Cambridge.org defines discipline like this: “the ability to control yourself or other people, even in difficult situations.”

Intentional leaders automatically build discipline by default. There’s no way around it. There’s also nothing wrong with it, either. Discipline is a crucial skill leaders should possess, and in our understanding, it’s developed by being intentional. Let’s look at an example.

As you are planning things out, assessing what you should do first and how you should allocate resources for the successful completion of a task or job, you are becoming more disciplined overall. You’re taking notes – on paper and mentally. You are keeping track of things. You follow up on the job, people working with you, and how your decisions are affecting others. You make adjustments where needed. You receive feedback and decide whether to act on it or not.

All of that and much more unmentioned is helping you to build discipline. If you want to be a good leader, it MUST happen, and it is as natural as breathing.

What’s more, discipline is like a super skill; it possesses the power to fuel you in every other endeavor in your life – especially when you aren’t motivated.

Practice intentionality in leadership, and you will develop discipline. And once you do, you’ll begin to strategize.

 

The Art of Intentionality and Strategy

 

Ever seen a good leader who didn’t have a strategy? I didn’t think so. Strategy is a key skill that, when you are intentional, begins to develop immediately. It’s defined as “a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.”

When you are intentional about leading, you intuitively develop a strategy. You will end up creating different strategies, too. For example, when you are at work and have to get things done, you will develop a strategy to do so. It could be prioritizing certain aspects of work. It might look like creating a schedule. It may take the shape of scheduling things. Whatever it is, you will develop a strategy for making things run as smoothly as possible.

You’ll also develop strategies when dealing with people. Some people prefer a direct approach, straight to the point, and no beating around the bush. Others may need to be directed via coaching. You’ll encounter people who have to be told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. You already know this, but you’ll deal with all types of people throughout your life – and the same is true for those you will lead.

What are we to say about dealing with different generations, or those who are the opposite gender? What about different experiences, skill levels, or various temperaments?

Do you know what you are doing? Developing strategies for each of them. There is no way around it, either. If you want to be a comprehensive and intentional leader, you will fill your leadership toolbox with strategies – and you will never stop.

As long as you’re an intentional leader, you’ll be a strategist.

And accompanying those strategies is optimism – our next skill.

 

The Art of Intentionality and Optimism

 

As a leader who is intentional about what you do, optimism is a skill you’ll depend on in your career. Optimism, rightly understood, is “hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.”

How on Earth could you be an intentional leader and not develop optimism?

You couldn’t – it’s not possible.

You will become optimistic in your leadership growth. You’ll be optimistic that what you are doing is working – and when it isn’t, the growth you’ll achieve and course corrections you’ll make will help to build it up. This optimism is contagious, too. When you, as a leader, are optimistic, others are affected. This, of course, creates a better dynamic overall – for both the task(s) at hand and those you work with.

If you’ve ever been around an upbeat and optimistic leader before, you know what I mean. They are positive in their approach, especially when problems arise. Others draw strength from them, and this increases the chances they, too. will become optimistic about what’s going on. Moreover, when viewed through the lens of optimism, problems are not as big as they seem, either. This skill goes a long way in a leader’s arsenal.

All this and more is the outcome for the leader who is optimistic and built on the foundation of intentionality.

 

The Art of Intentionality and Decisiveness

 

Optimistic about your strategies? Good. Now be decisive in your decisions.

Decisiveness – “the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.”

As an intentional leader, you cannot afford to be indecisive. You can take your time to have as much information as you can get, you can take what others have to say into consideration, and you can even ask for advice from others (I highly recommend this). But in the end, someone must make a decision, and it must be a decisive one. You cannot waver in this, either. Other people, companies, and even industries will be looking at you and your resolve.

Listen, things can move quickly when you are a leader. At any given time, you may experience someone who doesn’t come to work; a shipment is delayed, you can’t get started with what you had planned, or personalities clash – if you can think of it, it’s likely to happen.

Sometimes you can take your time and make an informed and educated decision. Other times, you have to make it on the fly with what you know right then. And when you make those decisions, be direct, firm, and willing to accept responsibility if it doesn’t go the way you planned.

In short, with intentionality as your foundation, you will become decisive – and other people WILL take notice. I guarantee it.

 

The Art of Intentionality and Resilience

 

Being decisive also means the intentional leader needs resiliency.

Resilience is a key skill that is desperately needed today. It’s defined as “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.”

Intentionality brings out resilience in a leader. Your level of resilience will be directly tied to your effectiveness. When someone is intentional, you will make mistakes. We have an unnatural fear of failure, but the reality is that people grow the most through it. And as you make mistakes, you become more resilient. It’s a natural thing that happens.

If you aren’t facing failure while leading, something is wrong. You need to make serious course corrections.

As you make mistakes, people will react. Some will respond with anger. Others will be apathetic. There are some who will be helpful, while many are looking for someone to blame – and will jump at the chance to tear you apart.

What you do in response to any of these emotional reactions not only displays your resilience but also helps you grow it, too.

Do you know any truly effective leaders who aren’t resilient?

Because I don’t.

Resiliency is a key skill, and you build it by – you guessed it – being intentional in your leadership style.

This leads us to our last skill – innovation.

 

The Art of Intentionality and Innovation

 

What does it mean to be innovative – especially in regards to leadership?

I think this is a good definition of innovation: “a new idea, method, or device: novelty.”

If you are an aspiring leader who is – of course, intentional – you will pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. You’ll develop routines and systems, many of which will have been honed over the course of your career. There’s nothing wrong with that, either. When compared to the casual and subpar leader, you’ll certainly stand out.

BUT, the truly intentional leader doesn’t get bogged down with the same old same old at the expense of innovating. Times change. Technology becomes obsolete at breakneck speed today. People do, in fact, change, too. Everything changes. In fact, the only thing that’s constant is change.

With this in mind, you need to see innovation where possible. Be agile and flexible, especially where many others are rigid and unwavering. There are times to be unwavering (like with your integrity or morals), but for almost everything else, innovation shouldn’t shunned where leadership is concerned.

And as you demonstrate your ability to be innovative, others will take notice.

There is no doubt about it.

 

The Art of Intentionality: From Focus to Innovation

 

Having examined each of the above skills individually, let’s not look at a more cohesive example of how they are all intertwined.

 

You want to be a leader. More than that – you want to be a great leader. You know what poor leadership looks like; after all, you’ve seen plenty of examples of it until now. Determining to be different, you decide to study leadership, discover The Leadership Series at The Wealthy Ironworker, and eureka – you’ve discovered a model that makes sense.

You intuitively understand that the road to becoming a great leader begins with being intentional about it. It’s always on your mind: in the interactions you have, decisions you make, and jobs you’re a part of.

Your first skill is focus. You’re focusing on what you need to do and decisions to be made.

That increased focus then, in turn, leads to building discipline. Discipline, as you soon discover, is a super skill – one that lends itself VERY well in all areas of your life.

With increased discipline, you strategize more. This helps you with planning, scheduling, and allocating assets – all the while, you are more optimistic.

How could you not be? You’re seeing your leadership skills develop with this approach.

You note that your increased optimism is contagious; others around you seem to have improved temperaments and outlooks. The tasks seem more achievable, and even when problems arise, it’s become easier to deal with them.

You’ve now discovered that your decision-making has become more decisive – which is the fifth skill we looked at. Most leaders are apprehensive and hesitant to make decisions, reluctant to be wrong or fail. But not you. You’ve made great strides in this – and the reason why?

You understand the greatest opportunities for growth are in failure. What’s more, because you know this, you’re also developing your resiliency, too. “If only more people knew about these,” you think to yourself.

You also realize that there is a time to be innovative for all of your growth, leadership development, pattern recognition, and implementation. Your integrity and morals should be steadfast and immovable, but everything else? Well, if other leaders could break away from the mentality “we’ve always done it this way,” and “I’m stuck in my ways,” we’d all be better off.

 

Can you see woven through that quick little narrative how we go from focus to innovation – all built on a foundation of intentionality?

The Art of Intentionality, implemented in such a way, brings growth to the leader, confidence to those following, and smoother tasks overall. In time, developing a reputation as someone who is focused, disciplined, strategic, optimistic, decisive, resilient, and innovative is worth all of the effort.

And it all originated from The Art of Intentionality – the first indispensable quality of a leader.

 

 

NOTE: This article is part 5.1 of a series on Leadership here at The Wealthy Ironworker

1. Leadership, Management, and The Skilled Trades
2. The 4 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
3. Leadership and The Task-Oriented Trades
4. Situational Leadership and the Skilled Trades
5. Leadership and The Art of Intentionality
   1. Skills Developed From The Art of Intentionality
6. Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
   1. Skills Developed From Emotional Intelligence
7. Leadership and Humility
   1. Skills Developed From Humility
8. Leadership and Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
   1. Skills Developed From Listening to Understand and Not to Respond
9. Skills Developed Overall in the Leadership Process

***The above is subject to change as this series expands***