Are You An Intentional Leader?

Intentional Leadership: Are you an intentional leader?

By Martin S. Goodwin, DCAPT-N, DCOS(e)

“Some are born leaders, some achieve leadership, and some have leadership thrust upon them. Which of these are you?” This quote, I believe, elegantly sums up leadership in the Auxiliary. Some of our members are natural leaders, while others develop leadership skills and aspire to lead our different Auxiliary units. And sometimes, members are cast into leadership roles because of a sense of duty, a dedication to our missions and activities, or a sense of responsibility to their unit members, or perhaps to the unit itself.

Wherever you are on this leadership spectrum, the interesting thing about the Auxiliary is that we are all considered leaders, whether by our members, the organizations with which we interact, or the recreational boating community. Whether you currently hold a leadership role, aspire to a leadership role within the Auxiliary, or are happily contributing your time and talents in support of some of our many programs, you are a leader. Let me say that again. You are a leader. Operating in a leadership capacity can be disorienting, particularly if you haven’t had leadership experience. This is where the concept and practices of intentional leadership can help. Intentional leadership focuses on the attitudes and behaviors that allow you to engage your team in purposeful, rewarding activities that further your goals and missions. It facilitates increased synchronicity between plans, actions, and outcomes and fosters effective leadership and followership. It is, quite simply, leading with intent. So, how can you become (or become more of) an intentional leader? The following concepts and practices can help you develop your intentional leadership skills. Develop a Vision – Whether for yourself or your unit, developing a vision unifies your actions and the actions of others. It drives performance. It establishes the primary purpose, the meaning, for your efforts. Our members participate in Auxiliary activities for a variety of reasons. The benefit of developing a unifying vision is that it creates a common purpose for participation and performance. It transforms the many reasons our members participate in our programs and activities into a single objective that helps drive engagement. Crafting a unifying vision is not difficult. Your uni-

fying vision should describe the purpose of your efforts yet be generic enough to appeal to the majority of your members. Some effective vision statements are: “To be the most valued resource for recreational boating safety in our community” or “To serve as the Center of Excellence for vessel safety checks and recreational boater education.” Once you develop a unifying vision, you have created a sense of purpose that will appeal to most, if not all, of your members. This sense of purpose will help drive performance. Create Goals and Track Performance – Goals define the desired end result of implementing your unifying vision. Goals may be quantified (increasing the number of program visits or member training hours over the previous year) or qualified (increasing outreach to other organizations, such as the Power Squadron, or to local boating clubs or civic leaders). No matter what the type, the importance of establishing goals cannot be overstated. Goals define your performance targets and help you measure the impact of your efforts. Consistently tracking your performance against your goals helps you identify strengths and weaknesses and provides you with the information you need to make the adjustments that may be necessary to optimize performance. Plan, Organize, and Act – Intentional leaders understand the importance of planning and organizing, and then putting objectives into action. These are the key expectations that your members have of you, and the expectations of members and leaders are what helps determine outcomes. There are many organizational and planning tools available to you. The Auxiliary Manual, your unit’s standing rules, procedures guides, and many other resources exist to assist you in charting a clear path forward for yourself and your unit. You also have the support available to act on your objectives. You may seek the counsel of past unit commanders, members up your chain of leadership, or other mentors. The key here is not just to plan, organize, and act, but to plan, organize, and act in service of your unifying vision and unit goals. In other words, to plan, organize, and act with intent.

Instill Meaning, Value, and Purpose – Meaning is the significance of an idea or action. Value is the quality that renders something desirable. Purpose is the desired result or objective. Approaching leadership in this way and in this order transforms the focus of your unit from an outside-in perspective (what do we do, how do we do it, and why do we do it) to an inside-out perspective (why > how > what). This type of transformation is an important aspect of motivating your members to action and engagement. It also determines how your unit is perceived by outsiders. Intentional leadership consists of creating and communicating meaning, which establishes value, which instills a sense of purpose, which then influences and motivates others toward achieving goals. When you establish meaning, value, and purpose, your position within the organization and the communities you serve then becomes crystal clear. These are some of the basic underlying concepts and practices of intentional leadership. There is much more information available, more than can be covered in a single magazine article. To help foster leadership development within District 7, we have established an online series of informative sessions known as the Leadership Academy. These sessions are scheduled to start later this year and are specifically designed for incoming elected and appointed leaders at all levels. These Leadership Academy sessions expand on the duties and responsibilities of flotilla, division, and district leaders by exploring the skills and behaviors that promote successful leadership within an Auxiliary unit. Specifically, these sessions build on the tasks of leadership and administration to help leaders gain a greater perspective of their influence in guiding unit activities, managing the forces that influence unit morale and motivation, and establishing and promoting a culture of excellence. These sessions are especially useful for leaders who are interested in building their leadership skills, participating in a forum to share knowledge and mentorship, and learning how to optimize their Auxiliary unit’s overall performance. A detailed announcement concerning Leadership Academy session dates will be sent soon. Ω