Intentification - a framework to achieve a desired intention

Photo by Stephanie Harvey on Unsplash

If you’ve spent much time exploring my website, following me on social media, or working with me in some capacity, you’ve likely heard me mention Intentification. Intentification is a proprietary framework I developed to help my clients set (and achieve!) goals that are really right for them. 

These days, Intentification underscores everything we do at heyHUMANTIS. Whether we’re facilitating a workshop, speaking at an event, hosting an online course, or working directly with an organization on their strategic Humantis Plan, our work is grounded in this approach.  

Here’s a bit more about what Intentification is, how it came to be, and why it makes a difference to our clients.

The Intentification origin story

I developed the theory when I was working with individuals of all backgrounds and responsibilities in organizations of all types on their people, culture, and HR systems. I started to recognize a trend: so often, when things went awry, people would tell me, “that wasn’t my intention.” These people had taken steps to achieve a certain goal, but weren’t satisfied by the result. In the end, they set themselves up to achieve the wrong outcome.

Hear me out

In the HR world, we talk a lot about “engagement.” Leaders are always very focused on what gets their team excited to go to work, and there are many factors that can contribute—things like trust in your manager, or opportunities for growth. But what few people ask is why specific factors matter to each individual. What about their past has led them to prioritize these things?

When I returned from my second maternity leave in 2014, I was presenting to a group about how important it was for us, as HR professionals, to know our intentions. I explained how it was critical we understand what was influencing how we treated each other and worked with our clients—and that ideally, we could also get to know what’s behind our clients’ intent, too. 

The following year, I was delivering leadership training to a group of not-for-profit executives, and shared my story of intent with them. As we were defining our personal values and vision statements, I spoke to how important I feel it is that we understand the influencers of our intentions. I decided, then and there, that I would call it Intentification.

I started looking into the Theory of Change, which explores why and how a desired change is expected to happen in a specific context. This theory focuses on certain inputs (ie. money, time), that together influence the trajectory of a result. I realized that in my line of work, the most important inputs are often sociologically rooted: things like personal values, intersectionality, and human needs. As I continued to do more research, I stumbled upon the Theory of Action; a related model which hypothesizes what will occur when certain actions are taken. 

Together, these theories helped me shape Intentification. My goal with this framework is to help more humans achieve the intent they envisioned by ensuring they are executing the right plan against the right goal for the right reasons.

Case in point

I’m often brought in to help support or resolve a people issue. Maybe a specific hire isn’t working out, and the organization wants to understand how to terminate this individual before their probation period ends. It was never the hiring manager’s intention to hire someone who was not a  fit. So, what led them there? 

Let’s say that, in assessing the full scenario, I find that the recruitment process isn’t effectively designed to find the best candidate for the role. Through the lens of Intentification, I am able to identify this underlying blocker, and focus on making the changes that will fulfill this organization’s true intentions (successful hiring)—well after they let this individual go. 

The anatomy of Intentification

There are underlying influencers behind each of our intentions: our values, beliefs, human needs, emotions, ancestral wisdom, intersectionality, and lived experiences that impact our current ways of working and our desired changes. These inputs ultimately drive us or motivate us to behave a certain way and seek specific outcomes. They inform our intentions. 

Our intentions are our core goals or objectives. They are often misidentified, when people assume that the obvious solution at hand would solve their problems, without considering what is ultimately motivating them to take action. When intentions are specifically aligned to our influencers, we are way more likely to be satisfied by the result. You can flip the script and say, “that was my intention.”

The final element of Intentification’s foundation is a plan: the resulting course of action you set out upon to achieve your intention. This plan is then rolled out through external connections, in other words: results. 

Feeling fulfilled by the outcomes you achieve depends on three things: the actions or specific steps you take to execute your plan; the evidence that proves your intention has been met; and the impact this course of action has on yourself and others. 

Our Process

Intentification grounds everything we do, but our clients will never experience it as a formal step in our working relationship. Rather, through an ongoing series of questions, we encourage our clients to identify what’s really behind their current objectives, and pressure test the outcomes and results of the plan ahead, to determine if that core intention will be met. 

Depending on your natural curiosity and self-awareness, Intentification may feel normal and expected or totally foreign and upending. 

For instance

A client may say that their intention is to increase employee engagement. We’ll start by digging into what influencers are driving this intention:

• Is it their own lived experience as a disengaged employee? 

• Is it a social pressure to remain competitive in the current talent landscape? 

By understanding their unique perspective on what makes an engaging environment, we can build systems that will achieve this, satisfying our clients and their teams. We can also identify deficiencies that may otherwise be overlooked when focusing on the wrong goal. 

Throughout any engagement, you’ll hear me repeatedly ask you to explain why you want to do what you’ve said you want to do, and to identify what’s driving this goal. This logic model enables us to create and execute strategies best aligned with your root intentions, and to measure their impact on your, your people, and your external community.

We’ve found that Intentification sets us up for greater success—usually in areas that our clients didn’t even know they needed. 

Ready to learn more about Intentification? Listen to a few stories of intent on the Intentifiers Podcast.