Intentionality in Action
Maura is the colleague we’d all want on our team. Savvy and smart, she is the go-to person you can count on to create innovative solutions to complicated problems. She’s curious and genuinely enjoys interacting with people. Why then, did she dread walking into her office?
The minute the door closed behind her, she was engulfed in a fog of toxicity. When her coworkers weren’t ignoring her, they were busy complaining and badmouthing their colleagues. Their boss’s behavior was erratic and toggled between completely disinterested and cruelly vindictive. Five months into the global pandemic, the added strain of switching between working onsite and from home, plus monitoring remote learning programs for her two school aged sons, drove her to the breaking point. It was time to find a new job. However, once she committed to the change, she was immediately overwhelmed by the thought of going it alone. That’s where I came in. Starting with our first coaching session, she showed up curious and ready to make a smart move.
Fear lurks around the edges of every change you want to make. When the stakes are high and the change is as big as a career move, fear steers you away from strategic thinking and focuses your attention and energies on making tactical moves. You fill your days setting goals, tweaking your resume and online profiles, contacting friends and colleagues, and applying for as many positions as possible. If you succeed in making a change, months later, if you ask yourself, did I make the best move? The answer is often, no.
Intentionality is what gets you more of what you really want. Maura explored intentionality in a small group coaching session where she learned to consciously suspend her fears. Stretching her imagination, she envisioned what she really wanted in her career and in her family life. The intentions she created clearly reflected her vision and are backed by her personal values and beliefs.
Maura’s Intentions
WORK: I’m enjoying interesting, high-impact projects and making great money. I am working in a team of a smart and dedicated colleagues, in a company I respect.
FAMILY: I am a happy mom of two boys. I feel relaxed. We’re learning together and having fun.
Change takes courage. Authentic courage comes from remembering the hard things you’ve done in the past. Maura retraced her career and vividly recalled what she was thinking and feeling when she did hard things – taking risks and experimenting with innovations. She recalled receiving awards for her accomplishments and learning the lessons only failure can teach. Every recollection stirred-up a genuine boost in confidence.
Anticipate the Unexpected. Weeks into her job search, Maura was pleasantly surprised when her boss’s colleague recruited her to join his team. She intentionally decided to abandon her toxic workplace for a healthy one and made a lateral move that came with a small boost in pay. It lacked a senior title, so she continued her job search and began looking outside the company.
Deciding When to Say Yes, No and Hell No! In envisioning her future, Maura had important choices to make about the work she did and didn’t want to do. Would she continue on her career path or take a detour and explore something new? Honestly answering these four questions gave her the clarity she was looking for. Try it for yourself.
What belongs in the YES column?
At work, what do I honestly enjoy doing? What do I want to continue doing? Use the list of roles and responsibilities that emerges as the search criteria for your next role. Prepare to tune-up your resume and let your colleagues and friends know exactly what you’re looking for. Write up the stories of your past successes and use them in your cover letters, interviews, and follow-ups.
Don’t focus exclusively on work to answer this question: Where do I want to stretch? Be specific. Do you want to learn a new language? Gain specific experience? Add professional certifications/accreditations? Blog or produce videos? Paint, sing or play an instrument? Live and work abroad? Try a new line of work? Create a side hustle? Consider these wants when you are deciding about which opportunities you do or do not pursue.
What belongs in the NO column?
What do I want to stop doing? Be honest with yourself and expect a few surprises when you admit that some of the things you’ve done and likely did well enough to earn special recognition aren’t what you want to do in the future. Liberate yourself. Prepare to revise your resume and online profiles. Anticipate resistance from family members and colleagues who don’t share your vision or agree with your decisions. Saying no to the wrong opportunity frees you up to say yes to the right one. Bolster your resolve by revisiting your list before you peruse job openings and answer calls from recruiters.
What are the things I don’t ever, under any circumstance, want to do again? Your answers create your Hell No! list. Like your stop list, anticipate that what’s on this list is likely to generate some resistance.
Looking at the contents of her Hell No! list convinced Maura to take a detour and explore different career paths.
Take Risks. Motivated by what’s on her Hell No list, Maura boldly targeted opportunities in different areas. Reaching back in time, she recalled work experiences that aligned with the positions she was applying for and tuned-up her resume. Writing short success stories gave her a boost in confidence and produced the stories she integrated into her cover letters and shared during interviews.
After a few false starts, she answered a recruiter’s call and started interviewing for a position with an internationally recognized industry leader. She interviewed her potential boss and future colleagues as thoroughly as they interviewed her. The job blended what she enjoys doing with plenty of opportunities to stretch. Most importantly, she isn’t doing a single thing on her Hell No! list. 90 days in, she is happily manifesting her intentions.
At work:
√ Enjoying interesting, high-impact projects
√ Working with a team of a smart and dedicated colleagues
√ Making great money
√ Working for an industry leader with a healthy work culture
With her family:
√ Happy
√ Available for hours at the start and end of each day for her boys
√ Working remotely. When the office reopens, the commute will be 12 not 50 minutes
What’s next? Looking ahead, Maura envisions leading the group and setting a new intention. Will she succeed? My guess is yes, and likely in ways that will surprise her.
Are you ready for your next big change?
Aligning your goals with your values will open you up to unexpected possibilities ahead. Let's work together to set your intentions and make change happen.
