Embracing Intent in Conscious Leadership

In this episode, Chris Walker discusses the importance of understanding and trusting the good intentions of others as part of conscious leadership. He shares personal anecdotes from a day on Bondi Beach that highlight how cultural differences can influence perceptions of intent. Chris emphasises that recognising everyone’s positive intent is crucial to fostering a cooperative and mindful environment.

The Importance of Clear Intentions

Good morning, good afternoon, wherever you are. This is Chris down on the beach. I hope you can hear the seagulls and the waves crashing. It’s just a beautiful day, and a couple of things happened to me here today that really brought a few things home for me.

We’ve been talking a lot about your intent, the third level of conscious leadership. It’s crucial to have a clear intention and not measure yourself by the reactions of others. There will be a binary response—some people will like it, and some won’t. But you’ve got to keep your intent clean and clear, honouring it with integrity.

Experiences on the Beach

Today, while standing on the beach and sending a text message, a family of Chinese tourists walked past me and brushed me. Now, I’m on a beach that’s 100 metres wide, standing 20 metres from the water. There’s another 80 metres between me and the wall. Yet, these people brushed past me. My initial thought was, “How rude!” But then I reconsidered. It’s not possible they were being rude; their personal space is just different. Perhaps they used me as a marker on their walk.

Later, during a coaching session, a group of Chinese school kids brushed past me again. On an open beach like Bondi, this felt like a contradiction of what a beach represents—a big space where everyone gives each other space. But these kids didn’t see it that way; they saw walking close to me as important.

Understanding Other People’s Intent

These incidents reminded me about the importance of understanding other people’s intent. It’s easy to judge and think someone else’s intent is bad. However, if you talk to them, you’ll find they have good intentions. Trusting the goodness in others is part of conscious leadership. Everyone has a positive intent, even if it doesn’t align with yours.

The Innocence of Intent

People’s intentions are often pure and good. They might aim to get time off, avoid stress, go home happy, or build a family. Their intentions are, in their eyes, flawless. Just like the tourists brushing past me on the beach, their intent was not to be rude but was simply part of their cultural behaviour. The intent in nature and creation is inherently beautiful.

Even those who cause harm often have a misguided but fundamentally good intent. We must affirm that everyone is doing their best, recognising this as an essential aspect of conscious leadership.

Levels of Conscious Management

There are various levels of conscious management. The first level is entering the stream—self-leadership. The second level is awareness—mindfulness of how our actions impact others. The third level is intent. We need to believe that everyone we lead, at work or home, has a good intent, even if their behaviour seems contradictory to our expectations.

Avoiding a Sour Mind

Failing to recognise the good intent in others can lead to a sour mind, where you feel the world is against you. I see this in coaching when clients question my challenges, even though I’m paid to have a good intent. Our good intent can clash with others’, making it seem like they don’t have good intentions.

Conclusion

In this third level of conscious leadership, it’s crucial to recognise that everyone is doing their best. This understanding helps prevent misunderstandings and fosters a more positive, cooperative environment.

This is Chris. You have a beautiful day. Bye for now.

And just as I say that, I turn around and get brushed by two more tourists—ha ha ha ha—with good intent.


Thanks for tuning in to ‘The Anti-Guru Guru Show.’ If you enjoyed this post, share it with a friend who needs a reality check. Until next time, keep it real, keep it messy, and keep practising. See you soon!

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