Intentional Leadership For Lasting Impact

In 2022, a Wall Street Journal article explored the LED Variable Speed signs appearing on highways nationwide. The article highlighted the complex mathematics—originally developed to study explosions—that underpins how these signs work. One line caught my attention:

“In essence, we all go slower to get there a little faster.”

Let that one sink in for a moment. Traffic jams are reduced when drivers slow down.

While counterintuitive (and perhaps frustrating in the moment), this principle holds a profound truth for leadership: sometimes, the fastest way to achieve a goal—and to achieve it well—is to slow down.

And this takes intentionality in our leadership.

Intentionality is where integrity and excellence come together to produce desired results in a sustainable way. Leading with intentionality comes from a leader’s heart – not just some tools to employ.

So what does this all mean? Let’s break down this definition and understand its three parts – integrity, excellence and sustainability.

Integrity

Portions of this section are from Razor’s Edge, a curriculum of Christ Community Church Kansas City, 2011-2012.

When we use the word integrity, we often associate it with morality or ethical behavior—like saying, “I wouldn’t lie; that would lack integrity.” However, the English word integrity comes from a Latin root meaning “whole.” It’s not just a moral concept; it’s about wholeness. Think of the word integral, which suggests that all the parts work together to form a complete whole.

This broader understanding is reflected in Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew words tóm and tōmin (“tome”) can be translated as “integrity,” “complete,” “whole,” or “blameless.”

For example, Psalm 78:70-72 says:

He chose David his servant

and took him from the sheepfolds; 

from following the nursing ewes he brought him

to shepherd Jacob his people,

Israel his inheritance.

With upright heart (integrity) he shepherded them

and guided them with his skillful hand.

Or we could go back to Genesis 17:1 where God commands Abram: “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless (integral).”

This concept of integrity challenges leaders to consider the interconnectedness of all parts of their leadership. It requires intentionality—ensuring that every decision and action aligns with the whole system.

Yet, applying this in leadership can be challenging. Leading with a whole-system mindset takes time, and time is often what leaders feel they lack. When Matt Saxinger and I shared about intentionality in leadership at the EFCA East ONE Voice conference, the number one response to why people don’t lead with intentionality was a lack of time! Leaders tend to put pressure on themselves to provide immediate action and are focused on one specific aspect of a scenario, not the whole.

Or perhaps we leaders are just not trained to think holistically – to see the parts and the whole at the same time.

Leading with integrity, as we’ve defined it, requires consistency, thoughtfulness, and slowing down to evaluate the broader impact of our decisions.

True leadership requires a shift toward whole-system thinking. Everything is interconnected, and leading with integrity means considering the entire system, not just isolated parts.

Excellence

When it comes to excellence, it’s important to clarify what we don’t mean: perfection. Excellence isn’t about relentless human effort or striving harder. In fact, even the fear of falling into perfectionism can sometimes discourage us from pursuing quality altogether.

A better way forward is to think of excellence as the pursuit of beauty.

Psalm 50:2 says: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.”

The God we worship and serve embodies beauty in full completeness, and this then leads us to a sense of wonder and awe.

If our God is a God of beauty, and this same God created us in His image, and then this same God placed us in the Garden and asked us to work, should we not then work as He worked – with beauty and excellence and intentionality?

Proverbs 21:5 reminds us: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

We can do things fast, or we can do things well.

And doing things well does not ALWAYS mean we cannot do them quickly. But doing things with beauty or excellence does require thoughtfulness.

Sustainability

Where intentionality commonly breaks down is that we spend time thinking about integrity and excellence, and then we want to hurry up and tell others!

We might spend weeks, months, or even years developing plans and initiatives. But when we finally share them, we often expect others to immediately embrace them. What we forget is that it took us time to get to this point, so we should expect it to take others time to catch up.

It’s a leader’s responsibility to be their guide along the way.

Patrick Lencioni says, “Change is easy, transition is hard.” It’s easy to buy a new house; it’s hard to pack up all your things and emotionally and physically move from point A to point B.

So, how do you bring people along with you?

GO SLOW –  slower than you think.

What feels like a delay to you may be the time others need to process and adjust. Here’s a helpful question: If something has been broken for this long, what harm would come from letting it remain broken for another week or two while you implement thoughtful, lasting changes?

If we want to lead well and create lasting change, we must bring people along with us at a pace they can sustain. This fosters buy-in, alignment, and ultimately, sustainability.

The Missing Fourth Component: Heart Change

We’ve discussed three key components of intentionality: integrity, excellence, and sustainability. But none of these will endure unless there’s a fundamental change in your heart as a leader.

These principles aren’t just tools to apply—they require a transformation in how you lead and the foundation from which you operate. True intentionality demands leading with a changed heart, allowing these values to flow naturally into your leadership style.

So, what does this look like in practice? An upcoming post will explore how to apply these principles as we lead well.