The Reason Why Organisations Fail to Achieve Their Goals

As the CEO of a small organisation for about eight years, Kevin has been trying to figure out why his organisation has trouble achieving its goals.  

At the beginning of every year, his organisation would hold staff retreats where they would stay for several days at a hotel or resort, have some relaxation times and then set aside a day to have their planning time.  

During these planning times, Kevin would gather his team to “brainstorm” the organisation’s goals for the year and the activities/ things they would do to achieve them.  

Although these planning times are yearly, Kevin's team find their meetings dominated by Kevin's ideas. They hardly get to say a word, so they just follow the flow. They also want to end the meeting immediately, as they do not find anything interesting and worth caring about. You see, most of Kevin's staff are not there for the meeting but just for the free hotel and booze.  

However, despite their yearly planning and retreats, they rarely achieve any goal as the years go by. They start doing this activity; however, several months into that activity, they proceed to do another and fail to follow through with the previous one.  

This cycle went on for many years.  

This cycle has prevented Kevin and his organisation from achieving most of their goals. This also caused the organisation to move into a downward spiral.  

They failed to grow and were never able to rise to the ranks.  

And with the worldwide inflation going on, Kevin had to cut costs. He had to remove their yearly retreats from the budget.  

He also was not able to increase his staff’s salary. This caused disengagement amongst his team and brought about yearly turnovers.  

The Stagnation Cycle 

Many organisations, especially small ones, can somehow relate to Kevin’s demise.  

They are trapped in a stagnation cycle. 

Every day is always a fight for survival.  

They need to make ends meet.  

They rarely have a surplus in their income - either just enough or lacking. 

They have difficulties rising to the ranks. 

How about you? Do these things somehow ring a bell to you? 

Can you somehow relate to what Kevin’s going through? 

Do you and your organisation have a hard time achieving your goals?  

Have you ever begun a project or activity but never finished it because you were distracted by what was happening around you? And then you'll move on to the next project, only to do the same thing as before - fail to complete it. 

Are you struggling to make your organisation’s ends meet? Do you feel like every day is a fight for survival? 

Do you feel like your organisation’s on the brink of stagnation? 

If you do, YOU  may need to develop the competency of Intentionality.  

Intentionality Starts With YOU 

You heard it right: YOU. 

Why not your team members? 

Well, you see, as the leader, you are the one controlling the helm of your organisation. You are the one who directs where your organisation is going.  

And you cannot give your team proper direction if you are not clear about where you want to go.   

You cannot insist on nor develop consistency within your team if you are not consistent. 

You cannot motivate your team if you are unmotivated, disorganised and directionless.  

So for you to develop an intentional team, YOU first need to be an intentional leader. 

And to be an intentional leader, you need to develop the Social and Emotional Intelligence competency INTENTIONALITY. 

You need to be intentional in becoming intentional.  

What is Social and Emotional Intelligence? 

Before diving deeper into Intentionality, let us quickly review what Social and Emotional Intelligence is.  

Social and Emotional Intelligence is the ability to be aware of your own emotions and those of others in the moment and use that information to manage yourself and your relationships. Emotionally Intelligent people understand what they are feeling, what their feelings imply, and how their emotions affect others.   

Developing your Social and Emotional intelligence will unlock a myriad of competencies that will enable you to help yourself and others reach your full potential. And one of these competencies is INTENTIONALITY. 

Intentionality: A Key Leadership Competency 

So, what is Intentionality? 

Intentionality is one of your social and emotional intelligence (S+EI) competencies that determines how you manage yourself. It allows you to think and act “on purpose” and deliberately. It makes you aware of what it takes to control your outcomes and your destiny. It is responsible for your well-being— physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. It is having an established identity and being certain of what you want. 

Intentionality  enables you to think and act “on purpose.” It is also knowing what it takes to control your own outcomes and even your destiny.  

People who are lacking in this competency often: 

•  Fail to set and stick to goals. 
•   Allow themselves to be thrown around by the winds of life or the day. They are easily distracted from what they want to achieve — whether that's their ideal life, finding their ideal position or career, or being intentional in picking friends or a mate. 
• They are unsure of the outcomes they seek and fail to plan to obtain them. 

What Does it Mean to Be An Intentional Leader? 

Being purposeful and intentional in your approaches is one of the few important core characteristics of effective leadership. 

Most individuals confuse intentional leadership with assertiveness and decisiveness. Although they are linked, Intentionality is different. It is a predisposition toward something. In leadership, Intentionality is defined as a persistent concentration on a goal or effort that has purpose and significance for the organisation.

Intentional Leadership = Effective Leadership 

Intentional leaders take responsibility for their tasks and their team. They are thoughtful in how they act and why. They are intentional in getting feedback and opinion from their team members. They are cautious in their decisions, are mindful of the consequences of their actions, and are caring to their team members. 

According to a study by McGraw-Hill, a lack of intentional leadership hinders strategic execution, wasting time, money, and talent. People become discouraged, lose enthusiasm, and even drop a project entirely. 

According to the survey measuring Intentionality, people start becoming disengaged when their leaders do the following:  

1. When meetings are unclear. When they leave meetings unsure of what to do, how things should be done, or when.  

2. When they feel constrained. When they are being compelled to do something without having their opinions acknowledged.  

3. When leaders do not keep track of meetings and when meetings become too authoritarian.  

When leaders are not intentional, they fail to give their teams basic leadership necessities such as purpose, direction, and motivation. Unintentional leaders are frequently reactive and struggle to build the framework required for their team to succeed. 

Unintentional leaders do not have a lasting impact on the people and teams they serve. 

Therefore, should you want to be an effective leader, you need to become an intentional leader.  

The Five Steps to Being an Intentional Leader
 

Indeed, Intentionality is one of the foundations of effective leadership. To become an effective leader, you need to be intentional in developing your Intentionality. Here are the steps you could intentionally take as a leader to establish this vital competency so you can achieve your goals:  

Step 1. “Begin with the end in mind.” 

This phrase is from Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”  

"Begin With the End in Mind" involves starting each day, task, or project with a clear picture of your planned direction and destination, and then working your proactive muscles to make things happen.  

Doing so will give a clear picture of what you want to achieve and will enable you to map out how you can get there.  

Step 2. Clearly Communicate Your Vision and Goals. 

Give your team a reason to care by clearly communicating where you're heading and why. Allow time for discussions so your team can ask questions, debate issues, and get clarification. 

Step 3. Do it until you finish it.  

The best way to hone your Intentionality is to practice it. Following through and finishing a task — without getting distracted by outside forces — is the best way to hone your Intentionality.  

Step 4. Review it.
 

Once you’ve accomplished a goal or a task, make sure you and your team review it. Take note of what worked and what did not work. And brainstorm what you would continue and not continue doing.  

Step 5. Redo it. 

Once you and your team have reviewed your accomplished goals, redo the cycle on your other goals and tasks by applying the strategies you have come up on your review. 

Redoing it can strengthen those intentionality muscles!  

Indeed, Intentionality brings your leadership to the next level. Develop your Intentionality and get your team and your organisation to greater heights! 

We Are Here to Help

At  People Builders, we have a team of expert coaches and trainers who are intentional in helping you and your team develop Intentionality. Contact us today for a quick chat to see how we can partner with you to train and coach you and your team in this competency.