What is The Intention for the Day?

Intention is an interesting thing to explore. It is a driving force that creates things.

I remember watching the start of the Hawthorn Sydney AFL Grand Final in 2014. As the players were out on the ground finalising their preparations, taking a few shots at goal and getting themselves ready. The camera went onto Luke Hodge and the power of his “broadcast” was unmistakable. What seem to be radiating off him toward the Swans Players was “Not today fellas”. I turned to the people around me and said “The Hawks have got this. Sydney don’t have a chance”.

And the same happened as the cameras went down the lines of players during the National Anthem of the 2017 Grand Final between Richmond and Adelaide. It was clear that the Richmond players were fully locked on. On the other side, The Crows players were trying to intimidate them. Again, it was clear, and I turned to my friends and said the same thing.

There are good intentions, bad intentions and intentions that are not in alignment with the goal of the group.  For example, you might have a team that has a goal to get a particular part of the job completed by the end of shift. Many of the team will align with that goal and set an intention to go for it, to work hard and to get it done. But what happens if you have one or two in the group who have decided to have an easy day?

You will know what I am talking about here. Sometimes we get into “auto pilot” and start to cruise a little, taking the path of least resistance. Other times we get very clear about what we wish to achieve and set to it. These are very different intentions.

So what would happen if you got talking with your team about Intention at Toolbox Talks. Ask the team “What is your Intention today?” You can accept any answer you want, but what you have to use your discernment to decide if you are just being told something that sounds good, whilst another intention runs, or is it real.

As you help your team with this, they will become more aware of their motivations and modes of operation. And the intention does not have to be “To work really hard today”. It could be anything positive related to the task at hand. For example:

• Today I want to get better at speaking up when I see things.
• My focus today is to get better at my hydration because I have been getting tired of late.
• Today I want to keep our workplace bright, fun and alive so that we all enjoy the job and feel inspired.
• Today I want to get better at listening and getting clear on what I have to do.
• Today I aim to concentrate more and be more efficient.

All of these, and there can be many more, are positive affirmations that will ensure that your team will all have their minds on the job and have a productive and safe day.

Cheers

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