Is Your Intent to be Content? - Crayon Leadership

Are you happy where you are? Are you happy who you are? If you are not investing in yourself to grow yourself, who is? Are you content to be a person of influence, a leader, without investment in yourself? It has been said that you can’t give to others what you don’t own yourself.

Intentionality – The Law of Intentionality as John C. Maxwell defines this law as “Growth doesn’t just happen”. Are you present in determining your growth? Let’s look at the keys to assess your level of investment in yourself and your team.

The Assessment – Are you doing anything to grow yourself? Readers of this post may be doing something. What is that something to reinforce the intention to reachyour potential? Taking a class while a start does not lead to or reinforce intention. Classes are observer activities. A person observes and absorbs like a sponge to release it back again on assignments and tests. After the class the information obtained is put away for another day, if it will ever be used again.

Low levels of intentionality lead to low levels of outcome. The results are negligible. What is the attitude level toward being intentional?

James Allen in his book “As a Man Thinketh” noted “People are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remained bound.”

Are you goal-focused or growth focused? A person may or may not reach their goals. A person focused on growth will reach their goals and possibly go beyond.

In the business environment do you attend training classes? If so, that is because someone else’s agenda told you to do it. In my corporate banking days, I saw and was charged with team members’ development as well as my own. A good portion was compliance training. There was the occasional training on your personality profile like DISC or Myers-Briggs. The tests are good initial step to understand yourself and maybe understand why you do or don’t connect with others. You receive what works best for your profile. It doesn’t lead to intentionality. What will you do to change to be a better representation of yourself?

In more prominent environments, there may be a mentoring program where you and your boss or another more senior supervisor or manager spend some time talking about what training you need or what issues you need resolved. I often witnessed mentoring sessions put on the hold button because of a shortage in staff or the work priority shifted that replaced that time. Connecting with other business leaders in my networking circles, I am often told of promises for mentoring or coaching that are pushed to the side when distractions take root. Some companies do have a great process. Just not enough.

If the workforce estimates are true, within the next 5-10 years, nearly half of the workforce will be contracted. Self-employed workforce will contract with business to carry out the work currently handled in-house. Who will invest in you then? Are you willing to wait?

What is on your calendar in the way of growth focused intentionality? We schedule time for volunteering, for getting the kids to sports, for a night out, to attend the Super Bowl Party. I am not saying anything against these. They all have a purpose. However, where is the hour each and every day schedule for time with yourself to grow? If you have it scheduled, do you attend this appointment? What do you do? If nothing is scheduled, or if it is scheduled and if you don’t attend or are not productive, prepare to give up your dreams and the hope of reaching your potential. If you need to reschedule this time, do you? Life happens. What is the sacrifice to be intentional with your growth? Do you spend extra time on the weekends, get up earlier, go to bed later, give up your lunch hour? Or do you allow yourself the pass?

Jim Rohn noted that you can’t change the destination overnight but you can change the direction overnight. He also said, “When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.”

Do you want a more effective you to change you and your circumstance,or in business do you want a more effective team and for the team to be more productive reaching its common goals? There is a winning formula. It is the intention and execution rather than succumbing to the accidental.

Winning with Intentional Growth – The person who is growth focused with intentionality will create their own luck, their own realization of their potential, their own satisfying world. As a result of their growth, not only is the person changed for the better, their world around them is changed for the better. If you don’t know how, hire a leadership coach to work with you to develop a plan of Intentional Growth.

John C. Maxwell shared the following formula for Intentional Growth:

Preparation (growth) + Attitude + Opportunity + Action (do something about it) =Luck

Here’s a path to make this transition to Intentional Growth:

Visualize a Potential Fulfilled You – Start by asking the questions of what a better you looks like and feels like.
Are You Still Waiting for Someone Else? – Commit and just do it. Daily practice or action makes it permanent. Plan it every day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year. Get going on it. You might then commit to do it every day of the year! Don’t give yourself a pass! Be consistent.
Face Your Inner Voice – Repel the obstacles it places before you condemning your ability to be more.
Move from Accidental to Intentional Daily Actions
Reflect Daily on Your Growth Path – If you find yourself slipping or letting your growth get pushed to the side, get an accountability partner to walk with you and be tough.

Be Intentional! Grow You!

About this series – This is the first in a series of fifteen posts focused on the laws that govern growth as a person, as a leader, as a contributor to a team of others. While the 15 posts will mirror the Laws and their definitions shared by John C. Maxwell in his book, “The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential”, the perspective will address growing as a leader in a business environment. The lessons do apply to the personal development side. “To reach your potential you must grow. To grow you must be highly intentional about it.” To become a more effective and fulfilled individual.

About the Author

Joe Dutkiewicz’s story is an amazing journey of personal and professional growth. He began his career in banking in customer service facing functions. He grew himself into upper management assessing the risk sensitivity state for financial earnings and recommending strategies to senior management and the board of directors. Along the way Joe found a passion with working with rising leaders to walk along with them equipping them for their journey to reach their potential. Joe continues to be a student of leadership, developing himself to be able to help others. He understands that everything rises and falls on leadership.

John C. Maxwell is one of the world’s most recognized leadership experts. He has written over 75 books and has trained others in many countries worldwide. Joe’s experience as a John Maxwell Team Certified Leadership Coach, Teacher, and Speaker includes an international training event in Guatemala with John as part of the Cultural Transformation in Guatemala where more than 20,000 Guatemalan leaders were trained.

Joe has a strong intention to working with those people who wish to be more through curiosity based questions and active listening. Seeing significance at a pinnacle in his life in Guatemala, Joe seeks to further lift others so they may see significance in their lives. Joe offers individual coaching, seminars, workshops customized to the needs of those attending to immediately put to work the teachings in their lives.

Contact Joe at (920) 883-0524 or joe@crayonleadership.com for Professional Leadership Development, Empowerment Mentoring, Amp Up Your Prosperity, and Success Blueprint Programs. If you wish to learn more about becoming a Certified John Maxwell Team Leadership Coach, please contact me.