Intentions vs Impact

During a recent impact session we ran with an EO forum as part of their annual retreat, one of the members said something that has been on my mind ever since.

We were talking about non-negotiable values (inspired by the amazing work of Bob Glazer), boundaries, energy, and accountability. About the subtle but important difference between what we say we will do and what we ultimately do.

Once she worked through her thoughts, she described who she values most. She said:

"Someone who takes accountability for their actions & impact, regardless of their intentions"

Almost instantly the conversation turned inward for the group. A quiet self-evaluation of our own recent actions. Because we all know how easy it is to hide behind good intentions and her distinction was a real nuance on what matters, the impact of our actions, not the intention alone. 

Something we usually highlight with teams when talking about comfort zones, is that knowing how to do something doesn’t automatically place it in your known zone. You might know how to have a difficult conversation. You might know how to give honest feedback. You might know how to prioritize developing your team. You might know how to lose weight or get in shape. But comfort zones aren’t defined by what you know. They’re defined by what it actually takes from you to act on that knowledge (energy, focus, etc..). Where intention becomes action.

The New Artificial Onion Layer

I’ve been thinking about this concept for the past few months, especially since at The Rebellion we often get a front row seat to what’s happening across leadership teams and organizations in different industries. Without a doubt, we are living through an incredible moment of technological acceleration and opportunity. A.I. might be the most powerful tool we’ve ever created.

But it’s also becoming clear that a new artificial layer in our onion is being added, one that allows us to deprioritize the human development work that actually will matter in the long-run (and not so long run anymore). A new layer that lets us outsource thinking and avoid real communication amongst us. A layer that slowly distances us from creativity, human debate, and solving hard problems together.

To be super clear, none of this means AI itself is bad. It’s an extraordinary tool. But this tool in particular, has a way of revealing where we choose to put our attention, and what we might be neglecting it along the way.

What / Who Are We Actually Developing?

Many well-intentioned leaders are pouring massive amounts of time and energy ($$$$) into building agents, automations, and systems, while paying less and less attention to the development of the humans inside their organizations.

You don’t have to look far. Just follow the money and the time spent within your organization in new initiatives. Look at your teams, your leaders, the internal culture you are enabling, and the ecosystem around. 

Our intentions might still be good, to grow our organizations. But the impact we are having can be something very different, because of our actions.

If the people inside your organization aren’t growing, communicating better, thinking more clearly, and developing a stronger leadership capacity, then it’s worth asking a harder question:

What are we actually optimizing for? Who are we actually developing?

The future will absolutely belong to people who understand technology. But it will belong even more to those who keep investing in something much harder and rewarding: developing their people.

Are we developing our teams? Are we building deeper trust amongst each other? Are we having the hard conversations? Are we facing uncomfortable truths? Are we being more vulnerable? Are we challenging ourselves and others to expand what we are capable of? Are we hiding behind a new artificial layer of our own onion? Are we growing at all? Are we building sh#t that matters?

It really comes down to that at the end. Doing Sh#t That Matters.

In the rush to build smarter agents and feel we are at the forefront, we can’t forget to develop better humans along the way. Take an honest look at where your attention is going, what you are building, and what impact your decisions are actually creating in your organizations.

Then focus some of your attention on the work that actually moves the needle: Human development.