Leadership Horizons

Setting Leadership Intentions That Stick

• Lois Burton • Episode 44

Share episode

Resolutions fade because they lean on willpower; real change sticks when it starts with who we choose to be. We open the year by replacing frantic goal lists with identity-based leadership intentions, narrowing focus to what truly moves the needle, and committing to the next small step that creates momentum. 

Drawing on two decades of coaching CEOs and senior teams, plus lessons from pioneers like Sir John Whitmore and Peter Bluckett, we map a practical path from inspiration to follow-through.

You’ll hear why January isn’t magic and why clarity beats hype every time. We unpack three approaches: anchor your intentions in identity rather than tasks, limit yourself to a maximum of three clear intentions you can say in one sentence, and define the first step you’ll take this week. 

Along the way, we share concrete examples—from building psychological safety to carving out strategic time and becoming more visible as a thought leader—showing how small, repeatable actions outperform perfect plans. The thread through it all is accountability that fits real life: light structure, honest reflection, and steady progress.

We also introduce our February Focus Bootcamp for leaders who want to turn intentions into measurable outcomes without adding noise to an already full calendar. Over four focused sessions, we clarify core intentions, expose hidden resistance, and build a sustainable action plan that actually sticks. If you’re ready to enter 2026 with clarity, momentum, and a grounded sense of who you are as a leader, this conversation offers a clear starting point and the support to keep going.

https://www.loisburtononline.com/

If this resonated, subscribe, share with a leader who needs it, and leave a quick review—it helps others find the show and brings more voices into our community.

Leadership Horizons - Helping You Lead Beyond Boundaries

SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome back to Leadership Horizons. I'm Lois Burton and if you're new here, welcome to our community of leaders who are committed to leading beyond boundaries. I hope everyone had a very happy Christmas and a joyful holiday season and that you're also looking forward to a great New Year celebration. So today we're going to talk about getting 2026 off to a really good start with clear intentions and focus. You know, I've been coaching leaders for 25 years now, and there's one pattern I see every January that honestly breaks my heart just a little bit. Leaders come to me full of energy, armed with new year resolutions. They're going to be more strategic, delegate better, finally achieve that work-life balance. And by mid-January, those resolutions have quietly disappeared, leaving behind a familiar sense of failure and frustration. So here's what I know after two decades of working with CEOs, senior executives, and leadership teams. New Year's resolutions fail because they're built on the wrong foundation. So today we're not talking about resolutions, we're talking about something far more powerful, leadership intentions. And I'm going to share three approaches that have helped to transform the leaders I work with, helping them to create real sustainable change throughout the year. But first, let me tell you why this matters so much to me personally. Early in my coaching career, I had the extraordinary privilege of working alongside some of the pioneers of coaching in the UK. People like Sir John Whitmore, who wrote the book Coaching for Performance, and Peter Bluckett, the first chair and co-founder of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council. One thing they taught me that I carry with me every single day is this. Transformation doesn't come from willpower. It comes from clarity, commitment, and a deep understanding of ourselves. And here's the truth about January. It's not a magic month. The fact that the calendar flipped doesn't suddenly give you superpowers. But what January can be is a powerful moment of reflection and intentional choice about who you want to be as a leader in the year ahead. So let's get practical. Here are my three top approaches for setting leadership intentions that actually stick. Number one, anchor your intentions in your leadership identity, not just your to-do list. Here's what I mean. A resolution says I'm going to have difficult conversations more quickly. An intention says I am the kind of leader who addresses issues with courage and compassion because that's who I choose to be. Do you feel the difference? One is a behavior you're trying to force yourself to do, the other is an identity you're choosing to step into. I worked with a director recently who was exhausted from trying to be more strategic. When we dug deeper, what she really wanted to be was a leader who could see the bigger picture while trusting her team with the details. That shift from a doing goal to a being intention changed everything for her. So here's your first question. Who do you want to be as a leader this year? Not what do you want to do, but who do you want to be? Tip number two. Start with a maximum of three clear intentions, not ten competing priorities. I see this all the time. Leaders create long lists of what they want to achieve and then they wonder why nothing sticks. And here's the important point. Overwhelm means that you lose focus, and it's focus that creates momentum, and momentum creates transformation. Think about it this way. If I asked you right now to name your top leadership intentions for 2026, could you say them in one sentence? If you can't, you don't have an intention, you have a wish list. The most powerful intentions are simple, clear, and deeply resonant. They're the ones that make you sit up a little straighter when you say them out loud. One of my coaches, a senior director, spent years trying to improve 14 different things about his leadership style. Last January, we narrowed it down to one core intention. I am a leader who creates psychological safety for my team. That single focus transformed not just his leadership, but his entire team's performance. So here's your second question. If you could only focus on one aspect of your leadership this year, what would create the most significant positive ripple effect? And finally, number three, and this is the game changer, define your first step, not just your final destination. You know what kills intentions faster than anything? Again, overwhelm. We set these grand visions without any idea of where to actually start. I always tell the leaders I work with, action beats perfection every single time. Better to take action at 80% ready or even 50% ready than wait for 100% perfect and never move at all. So instead of saying I intend to build an extraordinary leadership team, ask yourself what's the first small step I can take this week that moves me toward that intention. Maybe it's scheduling one-on-ones you've been putting off. Maybe it's creating space in your calendar for strategic thinking. Maybe it's finally having that conversation you've been avoiding. I had a client who wanted to become more visible as a thought leader. And instead of waiting until he had the perfect strategy, he started by posting one LinkedIn article a month. That single first step led to speaking opportunities, new partnerships, and a complete transformation of his professional brand. But it all started with that one achievable action. So your third question: what's one small step you can take in the next seven days that aligns with your leadership intention? Now I know what some of you are thinking, um, this all sounds great, but how do I actually make it happen? How do I turn this in these intentions into reality when I'm already stretched thin? And that's exactly why I'm so excited to tell you about something we're launching in February. We're running a February-focused bootcamp specifically designed for leaders who want to transform their intentions into actionable results. This isn't about adding more to your already overflowing plate. It's about creating the clarity, structure, and accountability that makes real change possible. Over four intensive sessions, we'll work together to clarify your core leadership intentions for the year and turn these into real goals. With clear steps. Identify and overcome the hidden resistance and obstacles that typically derail your progress. Build a sustainable action plan that fits your real life, not some idealised version of it, and create an accountability structure that actually works. Because having the right intentions is powerful, but having support and structure to fulfil that intention, that's transformational. So if you're interested in joining us for the February Focus Bootcamp, head over to LoisburtonOnline.com for all the details and to secure your spot. Before we close today, I want to leave you with this thought. The difference between a New Year's resolution and a leadership intention isn't just semantics. Resolutions are about fixing what's wrong. Intentions are about stepping into who you're capable of becoming. You are not broken and in need of fixing. You're a leader full of potential, ready to make choices about who you want to be and the impact you want to have. So as we move into this new year, I want you to ask yourself, what kind of leader do I choose to be? Not what do others expect of me, but who do I authentically want to become? Because that's where real transformation begins. Thank you so much for joining me today on Leadership Horizons. And as we close 2025 and move into 2026, remember that the way we led yesterday is not going to lead us into tomorrow. But with clear intentions and committed actions, we can step into the leadership our teams and organizations truly need. Until next time, keep pushing those horizons. I'm Lois Burton, and I'll see you next week.