Why Do People Need Guidance?

Why do people need guidance?

The most prominent reason why people need guidance is because they don't know everything.  Think about that for a moment.  How much do you know, and how much do you not know?  And who is out there to take advantage of that, and who's out there to help you not be taken advantage of?

If you need something to really help you understand this point, "How much don't you know?", open a yellow pages phone book and look at all the categories that products and services are grouped into.  How many could you do and how many can't you do?

Now, let's assume that you have all the time in the world to learn every single thing there is that a human can do.  Would you want to? Or would you choose instead to spend your time doing some of the things that were the most fun for you to do?  For example, would you really want to be a mortician?  Or would you want to be a pilot of the space shuttle?  Or would you want to teach people how to be better leaders?

It is this every reason, that we can't know everything, that there we need leaders.  That at any moment you could step into an auto-mechanics shop and ask, "What's wrong with my car?"  In that very moment, the auto-mechanic has become a leader. He is explaining to you what is wrong with your care, providing you with information about what is needed to fix your car, and helping you make informed decision that require a balance between cost and long term reliability.

But not all guidance is equal, the same, or even meant to be guidance. Some people who are seeking guidance some times come in contact with people who wish to take advantage of their innocence. These people misdirect those looking for guidance.  Just as easily there are those looking for guidance who are doing so under false pretenses.  In either case this is where the intentions are not congruent with your understanding of their intentions.  And, in addition, there are others who see a benefit to helping some people with achieving their goal, because it will help them achieve a larger goal afterwards.

There are many examples of people seeking guidance only to be swindled by con-artists. The con-artists watch for people seeking guidance, and misdirect them into all kinds of trouble for their own personal gain.  While, one image of a con-artists comes from street gambling, others could be bank fraud, unnecessary car repairs, or dental work, or so forth.  Things that you are told you need to have in order to get your car, computer, plumbing, money, safety, or other category in order, but that you really don't need.

Then there are people seeking guidance from honest people providing it only to have the guidance misused.  Examples of this behavior would be to learn to do a medical procedure, and then perform the medical procedure even though they are not licensed to perform it. Or they are representing themselves as the owner of a bank account. The bank teller helps them, only to find out later, that they were misrepresenting themselves and the bank teller helped them commit fraud.

The third kind is the person who provides guidance but seeks a bigger reward beyond the initial help provided.  Take for example an individual who joins a trail blazing team. He helps finance the trip, and at the end goes on his way to claim a buried treasure, open gold mine, dig for precious metals, or find rare artifacts. If their intentions were known upfront, the acceptance of their support may be rejected on various moral grounds.

This is why, in a free market society, the slogan has always been, "The Buyer Be Ware!"  You may think you're getting a bargain, but what you might be getting is a piece of crap.  And, since such might be the case, there are many checks and balances to insuring that the people seeking guidance and the people giving guidance are certified.

Certified guides come with a higher level of assurance that what they are providing is reputable.  And that the people who are seeking their guidance are actually seeking it, able to afford it, and are going to use it within the initial expectations for the information.  They are more expensive, since they are paying due to various organizations that audit and confirm their good behavior, as well as mediate with disgruntled clients.

A good example of a certified group is the BAR, which certifies lawyers.  If a lawyer is practicing unethically, and the BAR determines such is occurring, the lawyer will loose their law license, and be prevented from providing legal representation.  The same holds true with a medical license, a radio frequency license, and a 501c3 non-profit status.

So how do you tell if someone is telling the truth or not?  One way to determine the truth is to ask 3 independent sources.  This method is the same method used in scientific testing.  A scientist performs an experiment 3 times and gets the same results.  Then 3 other scientists perform the same experiment 3 times. If their results are the same as the first scientist, then it's probably a good bet that the original test is correct.  However, if at any time the test results are different, then the scientists have to look hard at what the differences are.

This is where the adage comes from, "An informed consumer is not fooled easily."

So the next time you ask for guidance, or are asked for guidance, consider the source of the question.  

Why are you asking for help? 

Why are you being asked for help?

What is their intention with this information?

What is the intention of the individual helping you?

Are there benefits unknown to you?

Have you asked 3 independent sources?

Become an informed consumer?

Definition of Leadership

The definition of leadership is "Guiding Intent with Integrity".  

I found the definition back in 2007 while working on my Masters of Science in Business Management, and working with the Man Kind Project. Over the years I've  collected information to help prove the definition. But this blog is not about proving the definition, but helping you understand how to use the definition to help yourself.

So, what does it mean to guide?  How does intent affect this guidance?  And, why does whether or not a person has integrity affect their ability to lead people?  

To guide someone could be as simple as providing advice, or providing directions, or doing nothing at all while that person struggles to figure something out.

Intent is the reason why that person is doing what they are doing. Is there guidance to help or hurt the person?  

Integrity is the hardest part of this equation to understand, until you understand how integrity and the social contract are intertwined.  The social contract or the gentleman's agreement is the understanding between two people on what is expected from the agreement.

And what is the goal?  Why do you need someone to lead you? If there is no place to go? That place to go is your goal.

Now comes the hardest part of the definition. There are many ways to guide, many versions of intent, and just as many people with different levels of integrity. How can all these people be leaders?

There is another set of questions that must be asked about leadership.

Who is guiding who? 

Where are they guiding you?

Why are they guiding you?

What will they get in return for guiding you?

How are they guiding you?

What purpose does this guiding serve?

Or put another way:

The Guide

The Guiding

Where

How

Reasons

Purpose

These six (6) different categories create 1000's of different types of leadership styles. Which is why after decades of searching for a definition of leadership many scientists gave up.  No plausible pattern emerged that described what a leader was, since just about everyone can be a leader at any point in their life.

While the general understanding of a leader was someone that lead a group of people, a simple store clerk leading you to a can of tomatoes is just as much a leader. This flies in the face of what many people understand about leadership, since they expect a leader to be in a position of power, but isn't that what's happening with the store clerk?  Have you given them control of your life for just a moment to guide you to that can of tomatoes?

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, the purpose of this article is to help you understand what leadership is.  So in the blogs that follow, hopefully I can provide additional detail into the nuances of leadership.  There's a lot to talk about, and most of that research that scientists have collected can now be reviewed in light of this definition.  Maybe along the way, we'll find a way to prove the definition as well.

The Truth About Leadership - Part 5

Focusing on the Future sets Leaders apart

This chapter argues that leaders are set apart from ordinary average everyday people because they have a vision about the future and act on it.  This point is true; it does set different types of leaders apart.  There are those that dream about a better future, but don’t act on it. There are those that haven’t even thought about a better future, but are just responding to needs of others.  And then there are others that do what is suggested by the title of this chapter, “Leaders look long term”.

However, just because you’re not looking 500 years into the future doesn’t mean that you’re not a leader.  The definition of Leadership simply states, “Guiding Intent with Integrity”.  If there is a goal someone needs to achieve, and you have a way to achieve it, you are their leader.  It doesn’t matter if it’s about going out dancing Saturday night, teaching a class room full of students how to speak English, or leading a nation through an economic crisis manufactured by the banks.  As long as you are guiding your own intentions and those of our followers, and they feel you are in integrity, you are their leader.

Coincidentally, on page 47, it is stated, “we found not surprisingly, that the importance of being forward looking increased with age, work experience and level in organizational hierarchy”  Leadership is about guiding people to their goals, so as people gain more experience about understanding goals, obtaining goals, and helping people achieve them, as well as motivating people to achieve them, yes, it stands to reason, just like children learning to walk, we will strive to use techniques that make it easier to achieve our goals and rely less on others.

Have you ever wondered why children learn to walk?  Maybe it’s because they get tired of waiting on others to help them do things.  Have you ever wondered why seniors refuse to stop driving?  It’s reported that seniors don’t want to give up their independence.  Interesting correlation, wouldn’t you agree?  Therefore, if follows that if I can achieve a goal more easily by leading a group of people to help me achieve it, wouldn’t I prefer to do that, instead of doing it all on my own?  We as a general rule learn how to do things more easily, and will leave older habits behind that took more time, and energy.

How many people do you know that still use type writers?  Now, why have so many people switched from type writers to using word processors?

The problem isn’t that other leaders are not thinking about the future. It is that they are here in the present, dealing with present problems, and haven’t learned how to utilize the tools of leadership effectively to motivate others around them to help them solve a common problem around the human condition.  As was illustrated in the first chapter, “You Make a Difference”.

The "Belief about how things should be" - How should Leaders address this?

I'd like to expound on another area of communication I thought about while at the gym today. It's with the "Belief about how things should be".  Most project managers build project plans that account for tasks, risks, dependencies, issues, unknowns and assumptions. The plan builds mitigations for each of these that are identified. Basically, in short, the plan covers the best case through the worst case scenarios.  When changes occur, members of each of the groups .. enthusiasts, visionaries, pragmatists, conservatives and laggards have these same scenarios running in their Synthetic Experience Generator (aka head) (this term comes from a TedTalk). A good sales person will identify all these worst case scenarios and address them up front.  As Scott pointed out, a Good Leader, will develop a communications plan tailored specifically to each group that addresses the scenarios. The idea is that a leader cannot run from controversy, he must face it head on.  In change management, this is a given. Users are usually grouped into 4 categories: eager to adopt, willing to adopt, need assistance to adopt and those that refuse to adopt. As you can see, these categories are the same as "Crossing the Chasms" categories.

In the political arena, how does Obama show positive leadership in handling the fiscal cliff for the benefit of the greater good of all, when the Republican leadership (as well as the Democratic leadership with its principles) refuses to consider any plan that involves raising taxes, or essentially breaking the Norquist Mandate. Does good leadership in this case mean compromising to meet the mandated deadline? Or does it mean sticking to one's principle? Or a combination of both? 3rdmurnau

There are a couple of different things I could talk about concerning this question.  I could talk about the different types of leadership:

Great Leadership, 

Positive Leadership,

Good Leadership,

OK Leadership,

Bad Leadership,

Negative Leadership, and

Dark Leadership

But these styles of leadership are only a method to reaching the goal, they are not the goal in itself.  

The goal as many would have you believe is to fix the fiscal cliff.  But is that really the goal, or is someone just trying to control the conversation?  What is the real problem and is that the goal?

Could the real goal be to move social security and medicare insurance into the private sector?  And what would happen if these organizations were privatized? Why do Republicans want military spending to go up? Why do Republicans believe that too many people are abusing the system - choose your system, including voter fraud. Maybe the real goal is to develop a stable economy, where everyone can prosper? But this goal would require the government to return to it's former practices of redistributing wealth, in order to benefit all, not just a few.

Compromise will come once we understand what the goals are. This is the unfortunate part, since the intent of the Democratic party and the Republican party may not be the same.  And to-date, the Republican party has been unwilling to budge on even those points which they have in common with the Democratic party. It's become an all or nothing atmosphere.

So, how should President Obama lead in this instance. The President has the ability to influence not only the Republicans and the Democrats in the House and Senate, but also those at all levels of government. While the President is charged with upholding the laws passed by Congress, he usually isn't fully funded to administrate all of them.  We saw this when is informed his personnel and the public that certain individuals would no longer be sought after for deportation. 

Another way that the President could lead in this instance is to take his case to the general public.  While most people believe that the President only influences the House and Senate, he has clearly demonstrated that he can influence the general public to "Get Out To Vote!" Through an information campaign, or as  mentioned before, take control of the conversation and reshape how the public perceives the problem, the goal, and the steps towards achieving that goal.

Since, information is power, the President can do what he has been doing all long very well: outline the facts, provide the options, and discuss his plan on how we can pressure the House and the Senate to move.  Letter writing campaigns can be very effective when it comes to getting representatives to move at all levels of government, especially when their whole party is at stake of being overturned.

Now should President Obama allow Norquist Mandate to go into effect?  While at first this might seem like a bad thing, it could also be like a parent telling their children that if they don't straighten up, then the punishment will be a night in their room without dinner.  As harsh as it may seem, children usually get the message the first time around when you stick to your strategy. So, the worst that could happen is that the American public becomes upset with their representatives and decides to vote them out of office.  

And if these groups of people don't want to wait till the next election for that representative's due date, then they can gather the necessary signatures for a petition and vote them out early using a recall election.  I, though, doubt that President Obama would publicly call for this type of grass roots action be taken, but it may be necessary in the next year to adjust the House and Senate to remove the blocks, and get the Republicans to come to the table.

I think right now the Republicans have a very hard decision to make. Stick to their principles and wants, or watch their constituents turn on them and remove them one by one or on mass.  Personally, I'm for the on mass option, as they would get the message that much faster.

Why is Intent Important?

My apologies, this blog article needs to be proofed.

Why is Intent Important?

Intent is an important thing in our world.  Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it's just a matter of how it's used that determines whether it's for good or evil.  But, to understand what an intent is and how it is used, this discussion is going to be rather lengthy.

What is an Intent?

The dictionary, or more precisely, Dictionary Dot Com provides a definition of intent.

Something that is intended; purpose; design; intention; 

The act or fact of intending, as to do something: criminal intent.

Law, the state of a person's mind that directs his or her actions toward a specific object. (objective or result)

Meaning or significance.

Intent though in leadership is not as black and white as the dictionary would lead you to believe.  Nor is intent like an onion, where layers of intent can be pealed back.  No, intent is like more like threads, bundles, knots, layers all tied together into a ball of yarn, or a ball of rubber bands.  

Intent, or intentions, are constantly bubbling to the surface and falling to the center like a lava lamp.  What drives their priority and expression is how easily an intent or set of intentions can be achieved and who can or should know them.  

How are intentions used?

For a leader, intentions are the hardest thing to manage. In order to understand the full extent of intentions, we need to look at a lot of different questions around intent from six (6) different perspectives. 

First the Perspectives:

The Leader

The Followers

The Non-Followers

The Observers

The Outsiders

And now the questions:

Why does intent need to be managed?

What affect do intentions have on others?

How do intentions affect choices, actions and outcomes?

How are intentions used, misused, and guided?

How do intentions give rise to circles of influence?

Why are there inner circles?

Why are some intentions shared while others are kept hidden?

How do expectations drive intentions?

How do needs, wants, desires and goals affect intentions?

Why does intent need to be managed?

Intentions, as described above are a twisted ball of knots.  Constantly bubbling to the surface and falling to the center like a lava lamp.  What drives their priority and expression is how easily an intent or set of intentions can be achieved and who can or should know them.  And, everyone has them.

The leader, followers, non-followers, observers and outsiders all have their own set of intentions.  Intentions give purpose and energy to individuals. They bind individuals together through emergent behaviors, "Birds of a feather flock together".  Intentions draws the lines that determine who the leader, followers, non-followers, observers and outsiders are.

The goal drives the direction that everyone wants to go in.  If the goal is to get to the top of a mountain, then a group is gathered together with different experiences to reach the top of the mountain.  However, the reasons why everyone wants to get to the top of the mountain is different.  These reasons are their intentions. Some of them are expressed, while others are held tight to their chest, heart, deep inside.

The leader guides everyone on the decision points and breaks the ties about different options concerning every detail about the climb.  From what gear to take, to which side to climb, to when to use specific resources.  A leader may be an experienced climber, or it may be the individual funding the climb.  

Those that wish to go on the climb, but don't want or can't handle the pressure that leaders have to make, are the followers.  Depending on their intentions or reasons why they are going on the climb, followers take on various roles.  They become lieutenants to rally the troops, specialists for different parts of the climb, trainers to prepare the climbers or pack mules to carry supplies.  However the roles are distributed, every task, every item, every decision that can be thought of must be thought of on the ground, and a plan of action and conditional plans of action must be accounted for.  Up until the point that they either succeed in reaching the peek or conclude that the climb will end in failure.

Non-followers are those that don't wish to make the climb.  They have their own reasons and express them. They may not be interested in climbing. They may have a fear of heights.  They may not like members of the group. There are a myriad of reasons why people choose not to make the climb. But for whatever reason they are associated with the group, and express their dissatisfaction.

Outsiders don't care about the climb at all.  This group of people are disaffected by those that want to climb and don't want to climb.  However, depending on how passionate the followers or non-followers are, they may be persuaded to side.  But, normally their focus in on other goals, so their energy and intentions do not become entangled in the outcome of others that wish to see the climb happen or not.

Observers are critics that comment everything about the climbing group.  They may be followers, non-followers, or outsiders.  They generally don't take sides and do try to remain independent. 

All these people either affect or are affected by the outcome of the climb. Therefore, the things they say about the climb, the group, the decisions before, during and after the climb affect the groups success, willingness, or even the success of the climb.  They can create an atmosphere of confidence, blind confidence, doubt, or even call off the climb even before it has started.  And that is just from people interacting with people.

So when it comes to managing intentions, a Leader really has to surround himself with individuals who's intentions are to reach the summit successfully. He has to know that their intentions are inline with theirs. And those, who's intentions are not inline with the climb, need to have their reasons brought to light, addressed, and set aside in order to keep the groups focus on achieving the climb.

What affect do intentions have on others?

Intentions expressed verbally or through action as mentioned above impact everyone involved with the climb.  The intentions of non-followers, for example, can cause doubt or confidence in the climbers depending on how the leader uses or deflects the non-followers intentions.

"Planting the seeds of doubt", or "Planting the seeds of love", which would you want planted? Leaders make choices in who can make the climb and who can't through a myriad of reasons, factors, choices, and decisions. And, how skillfully the leader can elaborate on these will determine the groups success. It also determines how much energy the leader has to expend to keep driving the group towards the goal.

When leaders share their intentions with followers, it invigorates them.  It feeds the followers belief that they share a common goal, and way of achieving it.  Campfire discussions are a wonderful way to bring everyone together and motivate them. Share the intentions, grow deeper bonds and share deeper intentions, other goals, and help followers share in a belief that there is a next goal.

When followers share their intentions with other followers, it also invigorates them. Gives them courage and confidence to try harder, go farther, be better, and so on.  It also allows the members to bond by learning additional pieces about other group members that allow them to explore common bonds outside the group.

When followers share their stories with non-follower and outsiders, either directly or through observers, this is known as a testimonial.  Testimonials are important to the success of future expeditions for many different reasons.  While much of the actual planning stage may be hidden from view, each follower shares their unique experiences, describing a particular event where the leader made choices that affected the member in a positive or negative way.

When non-followers share their intentions with followers either directly or through observers, they have a negative impact on the followers unless the leader knows how to use the non-follower's criticism to build a strong group.  For example, if a non-follower feels that the climb is not safe because the leader has chosen a specific path, then the leader can discuss the various choices the followers have, and which ones make the most sense based on various factors that affect the climb at that specific point.

The negative impact will occur if the leader cannot elaborate fully enough on why one path is better than the other. Or why specific precautions are not necessary when taking this path. Or by even ignoring the question entirely.  And, it is highly recommended that a leader never ignore a question concern the goal, course being taken, their experience, their intentions, or their integrity.  When a leader cannot address these questions, their experience is not complete.

Observers have the advantage of having followed many different groups through their quests to climb mountains.  While observers can be followers, non-followers, or outsiders, their experience lends itself to looking at the factors involved in the climb from an introspective, detached and scientific aspect.  As impartial observers, they can provide valuable insight into the leaders decision making processes when he cannot.

How do intentions affect choices, actions and outcomes?

While goals give direction, intentions give purpose and energy to people to join the cause.  Common intentions cause more energy to be given to the group than to other groups.  However, counter intentions can draw energy away from a group, just as easily.  

When a leader expresses an intention, followers, non-followers, outsiders and observers are given a chance to determine how that intention affects them.  The intention may be to climb the mountain  but using a specific rope climbing technique, or taking specific people with them, or being the first to take a handicap person up.  What ramifications do these intentions have on who can, wants, or needs to join this group in order to succeed in scaling the mountain.

When followers express their intentions to fellow group members, they can energize the group members, leave them disaffected, or have no impact on them.  It can also build a stronger bond between the group members.  For example, let's assume that a group member is handicap and wants to going the mountain climbing group.  Could this individual make a passionate case for his inclusion, and gain support from other group members to help him make the climb.  

While expressing an intention can motivate some members, it can demotivate others.  Some members could see the addition of a handicap member as an additional challenge they are willing to take on, while others see too many risks and are unwilling to take them. Or other members had intentions of doing something else during the climb that may not be suitable while a handicap individual is with them, so they may withhold their intentions for this climb.

Intentions can turn follower into non-followers and non-followers into followers.  It really depends on the words used to describe an intention.  Leaders, followers, and observers use phrases to describe the intention, like sound bites or new article titles.  "1st handicap to scale Mt AntHill", "Risky mountain climb planned!", "Leaders choice questioned!", or "Another 1st for Handicapped!"

Articles written by observers advertise the intent of the leader and the group, and can even bring outsiders into the fold to support or comment on the groups decision.  Support for helping a handicapped individual to a mountain peek could be a big thing. Maybe this even is needed to help motivate other handicapped individuals see their own potential to overcome obstacles. 

Thus the expression of intentions can affect the pressure various groups and / or individuals feel to support or with hold support. These intentions to make the leaders, followers, non-followers, outsiders and observers choices on how to act.  Which is why some members wait until a choice is made before acting.  Why act, until a choice on which options to take on executing an intention is made.  The wrong action can lead to resources being wasted.

How are intentions used, misused, and guided?

In order to understand this question we need to look at another factor concerning the types of leadership that can be expressed.  While there are followers, non-followers, outsiders, and observers, there are followers who have plans beyond the groups.  As mentioned in the question, "How do intentions affect choices, actions and outcomes?", it is possible for one group to tag into another groups goal and use that to leverage other goals.  

This can be a blessing and a curse to have other outside interests following a groups success. The blessing is that the group is receiving support to achieve its goals.  However, in achieving that goal is the group helping another group achieve its goals?  And what are those goals?  Are they inline with what the first group wants?

Intentions can be used, even misused in this fashion.  Let's assume that by having a handicapped individual traverse the mountain is a risky proposition.  The one group that is supporting the climb could just as easily play the odds to cover their losses.  For example, let's assume that bets are being placed in Las Vegas about the success of the climb.  The group is an insurance company that wants to raise public awareness about their products, but at the same time realizes that the risk to reward ratio is out of alignment. So they place a bet to insure that they make money either way.  They will loose the bet if the climb is successful.  They will win the bet if the climb is unsuccessful.  Now the game has changed, and the motivations for succeeding with the original goal to climb the mountain no longer is about climbing the mountain  but which bet will make the most money for the insurance company.

Intentions can also be used to guide.  For example, while the groups goal may be to take a handicapped individual up the mountain, the choice of which handicapped individual to take up, and why can be influenced by other intentions.  For example, if an outside group wishes to support such an effort and make a larger story out of the experience, then selecting the right handicapped individual would prove a better strategy, then using someone the general population doesn't know.

Unfortunately, these situations are why circles of influence exist around leaders.  Why lobbyists constantly talk to congressmen to find out what legislation is coming up and how it will affect their industries. 

How do intentions give rise to circles of influence?

While goals are the direction, intentions are the purpose and energy that drives individuals toward the goal.  The more people that know about a goal and the intentions the more complicated it can become. 

While the initial goal to climb the mountain was to take 5 people, one being handicapped, with additional influences now driving the decisions, these interest may start demanding that the group be accountable in some fashion.  For example, sending out photos and articles of how the journey is affecting the handicapped individual.  

As described above, the group may not be aware of what sponsors are doing, thus these sponsors may be taking both supportive and unsupportive. Observers watching these sponsors may find these actions out of line with the true intentions of the group.  The group and the sponsors risk exposure then.  So, a circle of influence is formed.

The circle usually consists of a tight nit group of followers that want to see the goal achieved. They agree to keep the intentions of the group as close as they can.  Thus, the term "Need to know" becomes a standard saying.  

While this tight circle interacts with those that they need in order to arrange the climb, they also control who knows what and when. The trade off for this method is that while the information is controlled and fed as they want, it can prevent their intentions from reaching a larger group that may support them, but it also allows them to have greater control over who interacts with them, and from an observers standpoint, could raise greater suspicions about what is really happening, if a plausible explanation about their intentions is unrealistic.

Why are there inner circles?

As explained above, inner circles are used to control the flow of intentions.  Those in the know, know the leaders intentions, and those not in the know don't or only know bits and pieces.  This makes for great fodder and mystery movies when a plan is executed and people want to understand how the plan came together and unfolded.

Another reason to use inner circles is to share intentions for a larger project beyond climbing the mountain, or bringing along a handicapped individual. It may be used for planning future expeditions. How the group can encourage others to follow. 

A third reason for inner circles is to keep detractors out.  These individuals are people who purport to be followers, but really are non-followers that constantly work to dissolve the group.

A forth reason for inner circles is to build strong bonds with the group members by always having a back room that members want to be part of.  It takes time to get up through the levels.  The more time they spend working through the levels, the more time the leaders have to learn about the individuals intentions.

Why are some intentions shared while others are kept hidden?

By now this should be an easy question to understand the answer to.  When intentions are shared there are followers and non-followers that will help and hinder the goal.  There are groups that will use the intentions to help the leader just as easily as they would hinder it.

Intentions can also inadvertently lead the group to believe or see the wrong thing. This can become a Public Relations nightmare. This is why larger groups discuss communication strategies.  Releasing an intention into the group needs to be seen as a positive move.

However, a non-follower who's intentions are to disrupt the group and who's integrity is incongruent, can cause disturbances within the group by sowing seeds of deceit.  While this individuals intentions are not shared, they will inject conjecture about what the intentions of the leaders and inner circle are.  If the true intentions where shared, the real issue could be dealt with directly.  And, usually the reason for this method of disrupting a group is usually focused on one of the seven (7) deadly sins.

How do expectations drive intentions?

Expectations are another form of intentions. Unfortunately, unlike true intentions, expectations are intentions that are held onto about the outcome of a goal. And they cloud the judgement of the leader and followers. The block the leader and followers from seeing the options that are available. And lead to the statement, "The end justifies the means!"

With the goal providing the direction, intentions providing purpose and energy, and options providing choices, why should a leader get caught in expectations.   And yet, expectations are a form of goal.  Maybe a form of short term goal, or way that the goal is to be achieved.  Leaders get stuck.

The growth of a leader or a group is not in establishing a specific pattern on how something should be done, but exploring the full range of how something can be done.  The more experience the leader and group is about doing mountain climbing the better prepared they are to handle unexpected circumstances.

How do needs, wants, desires and goals affect intentions?

Needs, wants and desires are goals, with expectations attached to them.  And, just to be clear, even a short term goal is not an intention.  A goal is an outcome of intentions.  So, the intent to reach a short term goal, is still an intention.  Until the goal is reach, it is not a goal, it's just an intention.

If you need something, like water, there are many options to choose from in getting the water, like: melting fresh snow, flowing streams, tap water, bottled water, and so on. Until you have the water, your intention is to procure water.

Thought, as mentioned, needs wants and desires come with expectations attached.  For example, while planning the climb, the leader and group may set specific requirements on what is needed to successfully scale the mountain.  These needs then drive the intentions to gather the materials specified.