Say, Intend and DO

Credibility is what a leader has when their words, intention and actions are aligned and sustained over time. It’s not about perfectionism – because as leaders and people we have all fallen short of this goal at some time. It hurts to recognize, or have brought to our attention by others, that we have in fact not aligned our actions with our words and intention. And what comes next is critical. In order to rebuild trust and become credible once again if we have to acknowledge that gap without defensiveness. Once acknowledged, the rebuilding takes our discipline and consistent willingness to take the higher ground of aligning our words, intentions and actions.

One of the saddest things one of the amazing people I once coached told me was that her supervisor communicated his words and intentions but she had learned that action never happened. This disconnect and loss of credibility was so difficult for her that she considered leaving the organization. Researchers Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman are attributed as saying, “People leave managers, not companies.”

It’s important as a leader to communicate and speak and talk through things with your team. It matters that in that work your intentions are clear and aligned with your values and the vision for the organization. But none of that is real if you don’t have an urgency and propensity to action and you do what you said you would do – follow through and follow up.

Language is a promissory note.

Intention is the invisible architecture behind communication. (The clearer the intention, the more blunt, sharp and honest the words tend to be.)

Action is the translation of intention into evidence.

Leaders, in order to build clear, deep and lasting trust we’ve got to be committed to the regular, daily discipline of aligning our language and intention and action. Intend