I join the many proponents of the development of the art of being intentional with one’s purpose and wish to add my perspectives as we look at my fifth component of the word “Discipline” in the way that a corporate actor should seek to discharge their roles in an organisation.

I would like to speak to the word “intentional” by anchoring it on the word “purpose”. I find it most useful to be forward looking with intention as I understand it to be a mental activity.

I will give the example of a principle in criminal law which obliges the prosecutors of crime to establish the convergence of “mens rea” (Latin for criminal intention) and actus rea ( Latin for actual commission of the offence) for there to be a finding of guilt on the part of an accused person. Regarding the subject at hand, for discipline to be established there must be a convergence between intention and purpose. It must be pointed out however, that there must be a purpose for which you would be intentional about executing.

It is worth asking oneself what you think your purpose is in an organisation and whether you are inspired to achieve it. This will determine whether it is a need or just a want for you. How important is it to you that you achieve your purpose? What kind of impact will be fulfilling your purpose have on you, your team and the organisation at large?

Based on my proposition above, the mind must be poised in thought towards the purpose and through such thought, align actions accordingly.

One powerful way of expressing intention is to communicate it. Your path will be clearer if you communicate the fact that you are determined to make it happen and unapologetically so! Often, we miss the plot simply because we do not understand the framework within which we should be working and our actions, especially if it is a team activity, are disjointed.

Another way of expressing intention is to be consistent about getting closer to achieving the purpose all the time. In organizations, sometimes, there is a tendency for actors to get so embroiled in completing day-to-day tasks and end up missing the targets set in the organizational work plan!

Be intentional by building consensus around the need to keep your eyes on the ball, so to speak. The purpose is the end game and you must make progress towards it as a key deliverable. How can you attribute the majority of what you have done in a day’s work to your purpose in your organisation?

Let’s share!