Especially at a time when there are so many opportunities to engage in allyship, knowing why we are showing up in the first place is a critical foundation to keep us grounded every subsequent step of the way. A missing ingredient of equity and inclusion work is often alignment on intentionality. Exploring intentionality is critical when it comes to setting a proper foundation for equity work and allyship.
What gets and keeps you going? There are all sorts of experts in motivation, and perspectives on how we move through the process of deciding what to do. To begin understanding your why, explore and identify a theory of motivation you are operating from. Whether doing so as a parent, a business owner (or both), linking the mechanics of why we are drawn to taking action is a critical step in getting focused.
Once there is clarity on your purpose (what you will do and why) use a framework for decision making. Especially in allyship, staying the course can become challenging as factors around us change that impact past and future decisions. By using a decision matrix, we allow ourselves the time to process and stay aligned with our intentions when implementing a new change.
Finally, we have to push ourselves towards continuous improvement. A visual accountability board can capture our “why,” the major areas we want to impact, and how we’re doing, all right in front of us. Complacency is the antagonist of change, and a way to avoid slowing down or settling is to track our progress visually and ideally publicly too.
Exploring your intentions as a disciplined step towards arriving at your purpose ensures you are clear and focused. From there, using tools to keep you aligned with your original intentions is key. The whole point is making a difference, so keep track of how you’re doing so you’ll always have your finger on the pulse of what’s next.
Call to Action
Reimagine your plan through the lens of a motivation framework.
Redefine your path by utilizing a decision making matrix.
Reinvigorate your goals by using an accountability board.