The Importance of Intention in Leadership

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In general, adults prefer that actions affecting their lives are taken with them, rather than done to them. And i think many of us have had the thought when we are making decisions, if not taken action on it, that we should involve some of the other stakeholders in those decisions. The same way we create a financial strategy, a plan to be able to execute on a desired financial outcome, we can create a leadership strategy. We can do that by default based on what we've seen other people do, or we can choose to do it with intention.

Eric Pliner: Difficult Decisions Eric Pliner is chief executive officer of YSC Consulting. He has designed and implemented leadership strategy in partnership with some of the world’s best-known CEOs and organizations. Eric’s writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Forbes, and Fast Company. A member of the Dramatists’ Guild of America, Eric is co-author of the U.S. National Standards for Health Education and Spooky Dog & the Teen-Age Gang Mysteries (with Amy Rhodes), an Off-Broadway theatrical parody of television cartoons for adults. He is a board director with Hip Hop Public Health. He is also the author of Difficult Decisions: How Leaders Make the Right Call with Insight, Integrity, and Empathy*. In this conversation, Eric and I discuss the difficult and sometimes awkward moments when we engage other stakeholders in our decisions. We explore the language to use when discussing a stakeholder’s role in a decision. Plus, Eric details how to establish clear expectations about involvement in decisions to avoid sending messages that we otherwise don’t intend. Key Points Clarify who you will engage and how you intend to do so. Before discussing a decision with a stakeholder, explain how the decision is going to be made. Make it clear if you’re offering them a views, a voice, a vote, or a veto. Standardize your individual and team processes for decision-making. Ask the stakeholder for input — and go deeper with a second or third question to appreciate what’s behind what they’ve said. Remind stakeholders how the decision will be made when you conclude. Don’t underestimated the importance of this step. Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Influence Many Stakeholders, with Andy Kaufman (episode 240) How to Deal with Opponents and Adversaries, with Peter Block (episode 328) The Way to Make Better Decisions, with Annie Duke (episode 499) Handling a Difficult Stakeholder, with Nick Timiraos (episode 581) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.