Leading Ourselves with Intention
Busy does not always mean effective. A packed calendar might feel productive, but if we’re constantly reacting to the latest request, the next email, or the incoming task, we end up chasing urgency instead of choosing what really matters.
It’s easy to fall into a reactive rhythm. We fill every open space with quick responses, constant motion, or low-priority work. And when that becomes our normal, we stop making room for the focus and perspective that leadership requires.
Leading yourself with intention means slowing down long enough to ask better questions. It means pausing to ask, What actually deserves my attention today? It means deciding what kind of structure supports the person and leader you want to be.
This session is about learning how to lead yourself with intention—not just by managing your time, but by managing your energy, your focus, and the patterns that shape your workday. The goal isn’t to follow a perfect routine or rigid schedule. It’s to align your daily actions with what you value and to create space for clear thinking, strong decisions, and your most grounded self.
Self-Assessment:
Leading Ourselves with Intention
Please take a few moments to contemplate the following self-reflection questions. Where can you identify opportunities for personal growth in your leadership approach?
1. What part of my day or week feels the most reactive?
2. Do I build in time for focus, or do I give it all away to urgent tasks?
3. When do I do my best thinking? Am I protecting that time?
4. Where am I saying yes out of habit instead of alignment?
5. How often do I step back and ask what really matters today?
6. What small structure could help support my focus?
7. What boundary would make space for clearer thinking?
8. How do I feel at the end of most workdays: purposeful or scattered?
Remember, this self-assessment is just a starting point for understanding your current Work/Life Balance and how well you can lead yourself with intention. It's essential to reflect on your responses and actively work on areas where improvement is needed.
“The more intentional you are about your leadership growth, the greater your potential for becoming the leader you’re capable of being.”
If I asked, “What’s your purpose?”, would you have a ready answer? Maybe you do something thoughtful and noble. But would that answer have been the same 20 years ago? Ten? Last year?
Probably not. Purpose isn’t fixed. It evolves as we learn, grow, and encounter new opportunities. It shifts when we complete a goal and move into a new season.
Leaders often talk about purpose of a team, a project, a product. The idea is that work (and life) feels more meaningful when it's connected to something bigger. Especially when that something is inspiring.
Purpose is a strong “True North.” It helps us check our direction. But don’t cling so tightly to a past purpose that you forget the purpose of having one. Let it grow.
Intention is how you live your purpose in the present. It shapes how you lead, relate, and communicate today. Try starting your day by setting an intention. Do the same before a meeting or a tough conversation. At the end of the day, reflect: Where did your intention help? Where did you drift? What can you learn?
Before any important interaction, ask: “What do I really want?” This grounds you in both purpose and present moment. Intention helps you act with clarity, not just react to circumstances.
Intention isn’t rigid. It’s not a to-do list. It’s a compass. When it aligns with purpose, it can guide powerful, values-based decisions.
Leaders who lead with intention and purpose earn trust. They bring consistency, courage, and clarity. They know who they want to be and they show up that way.
You won’t always get it right. But practicing intention keeps you closer to the path and closer to the purpose you're here to live.
You arrive at work with a to-do list and a clear goal for the day. By lunch, that list is buried under new emails, phone calls, and unexpected tasks. And by the end of the day, you’ve been busy all day, but it feels like nothing meaningful got done.
This is what happens when urgency runs the day. You are reacting, not leading.
Now imagine instead that you begin your day with five quiet minutes. You choose three priorities and block off 90 minutes for your most important task. You still respond to what’s needed, but you’re doing it with clarity and structure. Even a simple task like this makes a huge difference in helping you work and live with more intention.
Before your shift or day begins, take five minutes to ask:
What kind of season or day am I in right now?
How am I feeling: physically, mentally, emotionally?
What are the three most important things I need to focus on today?
Am I protecting the time when I think most clearly?
Is there anything I need to say no to or push to later?
What would help this day feel steady instead of scattered?
Leaders who manage their day with intention not just efficiency build trust. Your steadiness helps your team feel secure. Your clarity helps your team focus. And your discipline helps your team grow.
You won’t always control your schedule but you can always control how you begin your day. That’s where leadership starts.
“Decide what kind of life you actually want—then say no to everything that isn’t that.”
Instead of letting urgency drive every decision, we need to be asking ourselves: What really matters today? What deserves my full attention? Let’s walk through a few practical ways to lead with more intention, even when life is moving fast.
Tool: The 3/90/1 Planning Model
3: Identify your three most important priorities for the day. These aren’t just tasks. They are the work that aligns with your purpose or leadership role.
90: Block off 90 minutes ideally early in the day for deep, focused work on your top priority.
1: Choose one moment to pause and reset. It could be before a meeting, after lunch, or mid-afternoon. Use it to check in with yourself and realign
Leading with intention means making thoughtful decisions about how you show up, what you prioritize, and how you influence others. You don’t just respond to what’s urgent they lead with what’s important.
Here are a few best practices to help you lead with greater intention each day:
Notice Your Natural Rhythms: We all have patterns of energy and focus. Some people do their best thinking in the morning. Others come alive in the afternoon. Pay attention to when your mind is sharpest and protect that time for deeper work. Save low-effort tasks for when your energy.
Separate Urgency From Importance: Not everything that feels urgent actually matters. Before diving in, pause and ask, Is this important or just immediate? The things that matter most often don’t shout the loudest. Make sure they still get your attention.
Make Space Before You Decide: You don’t have to respond instantly. Give yourself time to think before you say yes, start something new, or react to a situation. Even a few minutes of breathing room can help you respond with clarity instead of stress.
Establish a Light Structure: You don’t need to schedule every minute, but you do need guardrails that protect your focus. That might mean a morning check-in, a clear start or end time, or one block of no-interruption time each day. Small habits like these help you stay connected to what matters most.
Watch Your Urgency Habits: If everything feels like a fire, it’s time to pause. Are you responding out of habit, or out of intention? Are you overcommitting because it feels easier than saying no? Step back and check your pace before it runs you. Leadership means choosing what matters, not doing everything at once.
Allow Yourself flexibility: Intentional living isn’t about getting it perfect. You will have reactive days. You will forget things. You will hit a wall sometimes. It’s part of being human. What matters is how you adjust and keep going.
How we lead ourselves shows up in how we lead everything else. It shapes how we spend our time, how we handle stress, and how we interact with the people around us. Even small intentional choices can bring more clarity and steadiness to the day. The demands may not go away. How we move through them, especially on hectic days, is what makes the difference.
Reflection Questions:
What is one small change I could make to slow down this week?
What habit helps me stay grounded when things get busy?
Where am I acting out of pressure instead of intention?
What would it look like to plan my day around what matters, and not just what’s next?
How can I give myself more space to think, rest, or decide?
Elevate your understanding of Leading Ourselves with Intention by taking flight with the following resources. Use this opportunity to navigate, uncover, and expand the horizons of your leadership influence.
How To Live And Lead With Intention
Living With Intention at Work and at Home
Laura Vanderkam: How to gain control of your free time | TED Talk (11:44)