Intentions are Important, but Results get Counted

  • 1 min read

Business Results photo from ShutterstockHow many times have you said or heard … “But, their intentions were good”

Did you immediately assume whatever they attempted was a failed effort?

Did you think that a giving something “the old college try” is good enough?

Usually when I hear the words “their intentions were good” I start to think … uh oh. What happened?

Intentions are Important

Everyone has to start somewhere. And intentions are a great place to start. However, intentions without execution are nothing but wishful thinking. And wishful thinking is not much more than a hope and a dream. As I’ve written about before Hope is not a strategy. 

Put a plan in place. Take the time to identify the initial steps. Using one of the tried and true 7 Habits from Stephen Covey… Begin with the End in Mind. Envision what you want to achieve with your intentions. Think about the 4W’s and the H.

  • Who – Who needs to be involved? Who are the stakeholders?
  • What – What needs to be done? What does success look like?
  • When – When is this due? Is there any leeway?
  • Where – Where does the work need to be completed? Where does the end product need to be delivered?

And don’t forget the “H”… where H is the How! How will each step be accomplished and who will need to be involved?

Results Matter

Intentions are important, but you are measured by your results. You may get some credit for having great intentions, but in the end you are ultimately measured on what you delivered. And, that you delivered it correctly, on-time, on budget and to the right people.

It all starts with an idea. Or in some cases a directive from your manager, your customers or partners. You have to start somewhere. As you put together your Intention Plan take the time to think about the 4 W’s and the H. Think hard about whether you can deliver the goods and can match all five of the points. If you can’t you need to ask a few more questions and perhaps make a few adjustments. Take the time upfront to do this. Your career, your reputation and your livelihood depend on it.

When you do this consistently you will Stand Out in Your Career. You will increase your authenticity, your personal and professional reputation will be enhanced and you will be sought after. Not because you take the easy way, but because you ask the hard questions. And the reason you ask the hard questions is because you want to make sure you deliver on your intentions. And because you know that Intentions are Important, but Results get Counted.

What will you make sure gets counted this week?

Picture of Jeff Shuey

Jeff Shuey

Jeff is an expert in the Enterprise Content Management industry. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, and K2. He is currently consulting with Microsoft and partners to drive Community Engagement and Alliances. Follow him on Twitter @jshuey or on LinkedIn: in/JeffShuey

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

The Price of the Threshold: What Initiation Was Before It Became a Weekend Retreat

The Price of the Threshold: What Initiation Was Before It Became a Weekend Retreat

The Vessel
Since 2000, Northwestern Medicine has tracked 290 volunteers over age 80 using a 15-word memory test, and after 25 years the ones who still score like adults in their fifties and sixties turn out to share one habit above the rest: close, frequent contact with other people.

Since 2000, Northwestern Medicine has tracked 290 volunteers over age 80 using a 15-word memory test, and after 25 years the ones who still score like adults in their fifties and sixties turn out to share one habit above the rest: close, frequent contact with other people.

Global English Editing
The habit of stacking your own plates and wiping up your own mess before leaving a restaurant table costs nothing and asks nothing of anyone else, which is probably why it stands out so clearly to the people whose job is cleaning up after everyone who doesn’t.

The habit of stacking your own plates and wiping up your own mess before leaving a restaurant table costs nothing and asks nothing of anyone else, which is probably why it stands out so clearly to the people whose job is cleaning up after everyone who doesn’t.

Global English Editing
Harvard researchers who followed men from late adolescence into old age found that the way they learned to cope with difficult emotions mattered decades later: men who relied on less adaptive psychological defenses in midlife tended to have poorer physical health in old age

Harvard researchers who followed men from late adolescence into old age found that the way they learned to cope with difficult emotions mattered decades later: men who relied on less adaptive psychological defenses in midlife tended to have poorer physical health in old age

Global English Editing
The Forest Does Not Self-Improve: On Being a Living System in a Century That Mistook You for a Project

The Forest Does Not Self-Improve: On Being a Living System in a Century That Mistook You for a Project

The Vessel
In May 2005 one male and one female Anolis sagrei lizard were moved from Iron Cay to each of seven hurricane-cleared Bahamian islands; within four years every population had evolved shorter hindlimbs

In May 2005 one male and one female Anolis sagrei lizard were moved from Iron Cay to each of seven hurricane-cleared Bahamian islands; within four years every population had evolved shorter hindlimbs

The Vessel
Load more
CATEGORIES
Explore