Setting Intentions: Beginning the New Cycle with Purpose
As the year draws to a close, many professionals turn toward goal-setting as a way to regain momentum; new targets, new metrics, new ambitions. Goals describe what we want to achieve, but not always how we want to move through uncertainty.
Each year, on December 21st I celebrate the winter solstice, like my island’s ancestors have done before me. On this day every year I participate in an event, or rather a ritual, that marks the darkest night of the year. Across cultures, this moment has long been understood not as an ending, but as a turning point: the quiet threshold where light begins its gradual return. In this practice, the focus is not on resolution or results, but on setting intentions for the coming cycle: the symbolic sowing of seeds before anything is visible above ground.
This framing offers a powerful parallel for professional life.
From Outcomes to Orientation
Traditional goals are outcome-driven. They define success through measurable endpoints: revenue targets, promotions, deliverables. While useful, they often assume stability and control in environments that rarely offer either.
Intentions, by contrast, provide orientation rather than destination. They articulate the principles, behaviors, and ways of working we commit to embody, especially when conditions are unclear. Much like seeds planted during the winter solstice, intentions are set before certainty, before proof, before immediate results.
They ask:
How do I want to lead?
How do I want to work when plans change?
What qualities do I want to cultivate over time?
Why Intentions Matter in Complex Professional Environments
Modern work environments are increasingly volatile: shifting markets, evolving roles, hybrid teams, and constant information flow. In such contexts intentions offer several advantages:
They support adaptability
Intentions remain relevant even as circumstances change. If your role evolves mid-year, an intention such as communicate proactively or prioritize strategic thinking continues to guide decisions.They reduce all-or-nothing thinking
Goals often create a pass/fail mindset. Intentions allow for progress without perfection, encouraging learning rather than self-criticism.They influence daily behavior
While goals live in planning documents, intentions shape moment-to-moment actions—how meetings are run, feedback is delivered, or priorities are chosen under pressure.They align performance with values
Intentions bridge professional output with personal integrity, helping individuals sustain motivation and avoid burnout.
Intentions:
Anchor behavior when outcomes are delayed
Encourage consistency over intensity
Support resilience during periods of uncertainty or transition
Just as seeds require time beneath the surface before growth appears, intentions recognize that meaningful progress is often invisible at first.
Intentions Are Not “Lower Standards”
Intentions are not softer or less demanding than goals. In practice, they can be more challenging. It is often easier to chase a number than to consistently act with patience, clarity, or courage; especially under stress.
High-performing professionals and teams often combine clear objectives with strong intentions.
A professional goal might be:
Expand a program, deliver a major project, step into a new role.
An accompanying intention might be:
Act with clarity rather than urgency.
Lead conversations with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
Make decisions aligned with long-term impact, not short-term pressure.
The goal defines what success looks like.
The intention defines who you are becoming while pursuing it.
A Solstice Question for the New Cycle
In the solstice practice, intentions are set quietly, without immediate demand for evidence. That same question translates well into professional reflection:
What seeds am I willing to plant now, trusting that they will take time to grow?
This reframing shifts the new year from a test of performance to a cycle of cultivation—one that values patience, alignment, and deliberate action.
Making Intentions Actionable
To integrate intentions into professional life:
Name one to three core intentions for the year.
Translate them into observable behaviors.
Revisit them regularly—at the start of the week, before key meetings, or during quarterly reviews.
Reflect on alignment, not just outcomes: Did I act in accordance with my intention, even when results were uncertain?
A Different Measure of Success
Goals measure what was achieved. Intentions measure who you became in the process.
As organizations increasingly recognize the importance of resilience, ethical leadership, and sustainable performance, intentions offer a powerful complement to traditional metrics. They remind us that success is not only about reaching the destination, but about the manner in which we travel.
In the new year, setting intentions may not replace goals—but it can profoundly transform how we pursue them.