Main Idea
Do you stay with a problem or client issue until it is finished? Do you focus on finishing with excellence or do you focus on just finishing? Do you ever give up?
Expansion of Idea
Do you remember the Columbo television show from the 70’s? For those of you who are too young, Peter Falk played a detective who, on the surface, was a clown. He drove a beat up old car, wore a beat up coat and frequently had his pet basset hound with him. Whenever he was tracking down a murderer, he seemed gullible and naïve. The criminals kept giving him false or misleading information and he kept coming back to follow up. He would always have just one more question. I am amazed that he always caught the criminal. In sports, you can look at Michael Jordan, Larry Bird or Albert Pujols. The word intensity barely describes those guys. In business, you can look at Jack Welch, the retired president of General Electric. He has his share of faults, but he was intense. He was focused on getting the job done.
Intentness is a critical component of personal success as well as your organization’s success. Intentness can manifest itself in different ways. We don’t have to be rude or humorless to be intent. We do have to be focused on getting the job done. We have to decide that we are going to succeed and then go out there and do it. You are handed a lot of setbacks and problems every day. How you react to those problems determines your ultimate success.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Am I focused on getting the job done?
Do I worry about obstacles?
Do I get easily distracted?
Do I know exactly what to do in my job, how to do it and am I on track in completing it?