The Intentional Leader
Have you ever heard anyone answer, “How are you?” with the word “busy”? The percentage of people who describe themselves as having “not enough time” is the highest it has ever been.
There is nothing necessarily wrong with being busy, but busy leaders tend to ask one question: Is all the work I’m doing really making an impact?
The secret to ensuring that you are getting the maximum productivity out of what you do is to do everything intentionally. You’re not just filling time jumping from task to task. Instead, you are moving forward with a system and a purpose. Even a well-thought-out daily routine can lack intentionality if it becomes misaligned with your needs or goals.
You might be lacking intentionality if…
The people around you are always asking clarifying questions.
It is hard for you to stay on task.
You are not receiving feedback, and most decisions are unilateral.
At home, this might mean that you and your spouse get into little fights and are frustrated because you don’t have a clear idea of what the other person is doing or what to prioritize at home.
You could fully staff a volunteer team but feel stuck maintaining the previous level of success instead of implementing anything new to help your team grow or celebrate its success.
Successful leaders take action before small issues become major problems.
It’s kind of like taking time to switch out the filter on your furnace. A clean filter helps extend the furnace's life and ensures your temperature is controlled correctly. If you don’t replace the filter, you may not notice a problem right away. At first, it may just take a little extra energy to heat your home. However, over time, a clogged filter can destroy the entire system.
Intentionality means maintaining and improving systems before you see a problem.
So how do you become more intentional?
One excellent example of intentionality for the Christian leader is Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a Jew living in exile when he learned of a serious problem. The walls of the once-great city of Jerusalem were destroyed, and no one was trying to fix them.
When he heard the news that the wall of Jerusalem was in ruins, he immediately turned to God. He knew that if he wanted anything to change, he would have to receive direction from God. Then he would know that his next steps were not in vain but would be backed by the Spirit of God.
Christians often get so busy serving God that they forget to simply spend time with Him and seek His wisdom before anything. The first step in becoming a more intentional leader is to ensure your priorities are in order, starting with your time in prayer.
Don’t leave this step up to chance! Put prayer in your schedule first and build your life around it. Then you will be able to receive the wisdom of God, and He will show you areas where you need to be more intentional!
Here are three other ways that you can be intentional as a leader:
1. Take Responsibility
Leaders know they have the ultimate responsibility for any success or issue in their team, family, or business. The problems may not be your fault, meaning your actions may not have caused them directly. But by taking responsibility, you can take action to help resolve them.
2. Make Time For People
Relationships are your most valuable resource as a leader, and they are also your legacy. Many leaders avoid investing in people when they feel busy. However, strong relationships are an excellent way to develop new leaders, find out how to delegate the work and give clarity on your mission and goals. Over time, this process will help the people around you reach their fullest potential, both at work and in their personal lives.
3. Say No
In Nehemiah, people who opposed the work tried to convince Nehemiah to talk to them. But Nehemiah knew it was only a distraction and that he should keep going with his work.
He could have felt obligated to speak to them or justified in arguing his point. However, Nehemiah kept his focus on what God had instructed him to do.
Intentional leaders are focused on saying no. They understand the demands of their time and know that there are some things they cannot do. Sayin “no” is not rude! In fact, it is better to say “no” than to allow your quality of work to decrease because you are overscheduled.
God has called you to do amazing things! The key to getting it all done and doing it with excellence is to practice intentionality in every area of your life. Staying focused on the priorities he has given you both in the Bible and through personal revelation will help you determine where to give your time and ensure that you reach your fullest potential.
Lead well!