Leading with intention

How to connect yourself and your team!

 

Do you sometimes feel like you’re chasing life? Are you always busy, busy, busy and unable to find time for yourself? Or do you keep moving in all directions without ever truly moving forward? It is not easy to stay attentive in a world that keeps accelerating. More than ever, we need transformational leadership that helps people slow down, reconnect, and move toward a shared vision together.

Take a deep breath in, and slowly breathe out. Repeat this three to five times until you feel calm and relaxed again in your body. Learn to slow down. When you take time to reconnect with yourself, you open the door to a life filled with awareness. Imagine starting each day fully conscious, approaching your goals with renewed motivation and clear focus.

In our new leadership training program Heart Centered Leadership, we explore — among other things — the power of intention.

It is so powerful that top athletes across almost every discipline use it. Winners possess extraordinary focus and perseverance. A gold medal is not won in a single competition but through years of mental and physical preparation. The same applies to the leaders of the future:

• Leading with an open heart
• Starting each day with intention
• How intention makes the difference
• Conclusion: persistence pays off

Leading with an open heart

Heart Centered Leadership is a form of transformational leadership that begins with a positive — even loving — intention.

To truly lead from the heart, you must be willing to open yourself up. This means showing vulnerability while also placing trust in others. It requires strong self-confidence and grounding within yourself. Good leaders allow emotions to be visible but are not controlled by them. Emotions are not managed by suppressing them, but by feeling them fully and addressing or processing them in a healthy way.

On the other hand, when opening the heart feels difficult, insecurity and dependence on others’ approval can arise. Without grounding, it becomes challenging to lead a group. Connecting with others becomes harder, and reactions may appear indifferent or easily hurt. This attitude often stems from accumulated fear, stress, insecurity, or emotional exhaustion.

“We are human beings, not human doings.”

Start each day with intention.

How intention can make a difference

How you act influences the thoughts, emotions, and actions of the people around you. It is an interaction between different egos. Like magnets, people can either attract each other and work together in harmony, or repel one another. Transformational leadership requires an approach that brings people into harmony so they can work together toward a shared goal.

Recently, for example, I faced an IT problem that I honestly did not fully understand. I could have responded in two different ways:

With positive intention & trust

I chose to approach the problem consciously with a positive intention. Before contacting anyone, I first took a moment to calm myself. Responding angrily to an email serves no purpose. It only takes a few breaths before taking conscious action.

I then reached out to the team with an open attitude. I explained the situation without blaming anyone. After that, I simply asked for help and acknowledged that this problem was unfamiliar territory for me. I placed my trust in the experts — after all, it is not my role to tell them how to do their job. Of course, I did not just pass the problem along. I remained open to learning more about the issue in all its complexity and about how I could contribute to solving it.

The result was remarkable. I received responses almost immediately from several people willing to help. Some had already taken initiative based on the information I shared. Everyone remained friendly, and some even thanked me for informing them.

With distrust & fear

Without consciously choosing a positive intention, I might have reacted angrily or impatiently from a place of fear, misunderstanding, or helplessness. As a result, I would likely have encountered much more resistance, causing the problem to be solved more slowly — or perhaps not at all.

When we feel attacked or unsafe, we quickly fall back into prehistoric “fight or flight” responses. Some people avoid conversations or individuals, others freeze, and some move into confrontation. We close ourselves off from what others are saying or listen selectively, twisting words to defend our own position.

How might others respond in such a situation? They would likely defend themselves by dismissing the problem, shifting responsibility, or making excuses. Yet the reality is that mistakes happen, and when they arise, it is better to address them directly rather than focus on blame.

When you are willing to be vulnerable and connect with everyone involved through co-creation, new perspectives emerge — often leading to better solutions. The real question is: how willing are you to look at yourself without judgment or bias?

Conclusion: Persistence pays off

Do you sometimes struggle to get out of bed feeling motivated? Are you tired of setting new intentions only to abandon them too quickly? Keep going! Falling back into old patterns or habits is human. It is only by staying aware and continuously adjusting that you can become the best version of yourself.

The energy of a leader influences the entire organization. By starting your day with a loving intention, you not only feel more motivated but also attract more positivity. People mirror the energy of their environment. Transformational leadership begins when leaders radiate trust and openness, helping to create a safe environment for their team.

More intention also means greater awareness. Take regular moments to slow down and consciously set — and maintain — your intention. Stay alert so you do not fall back into outdated patterns throughout the day, and adjust whenever necessary.

Would you like to make a difference as a leader? Discover the Kickstart Team Coaching program!