Don McMinn

“Since the days of antiquity, those sitting in judgment of the gravest crimes have required evidence of a man’s intent and sought to classify his awareness of the moral implications of his actions. Even when one man kills another, we separate the accidental from the spontaneous and the spontaneous from the carefully planned—despite the fact that such distinctions provide no comfort to the dead.” (Amor Towles, Table for Two)

This topic is very complicated but extremely important. I’ve wrestled with it for months. I’ve written my current thoughts at the end of this post. 

Intentions reveal the underlying reasons behind a person’s actions, providing insight into their true motivations and character. But whereas actions leave evidence, intentions are often silent and hard to verify. People often lie about their intentions, which creates an extra layer of ambiguity.

Ethically, the intent behind an action is often seen as a primary factor in judging its morality. While intentions are crucial, the consequences of an action still have real-world impact, and sometimes the negative outcomes of an action can’t be dismissed even if the intention was good. There’s even a difference between a well-intentioned action that results in a negative outcome and a malicious action that has a positive outcome.

Here’s where I’ve landed on this topic.

When someone offends me, I should consider their intentions.

For my own peace of mind and to be generous toward others, unless a bad intent is obvious, I should assume that people are acting with good intentions.

Recently, I got frustrated when someone wasted my time and money. I was quite stirred up until I considered intent. I realized she had not intentionally done what she did; there was no malice; she had just made a mistake. That thought helped me settle down. 

When I offend someone else, I shouldn’t use intent as an excuse.

If I do something that hurts another person I should focus on my action and the outcome, not my intent. When I commit an offense I should not rely upon an innocent intent to ameliorate the incident. For instance, if I accidentally back my car into yours, I needn’t say, “But I didn’t mean to.” Regardless of my intent, your car is damaged and I should apologize and take responsibility to fix it. 

If I regularly offend people, though I think my intentions are pure, I need to analyze my actions and adjust my behavior. Self-awareness combined with a humble and contrite attitude will motivate me to change and do better.  

Intentions are the reasons behind what you do. Actions are the things that you actually do. Results are what happens as a result of actions. We are responsible for all three.

Lee Iacocca was an iconic leader in the American car manufacturing industry. When he was at Ford Motor company he introduced the Mustang (1964). Good decision. When he took over the failing Chrysler Motor company (1979), bold designs and decisions were needed. He introduced the minivan – a practical vehicle never seen before. Another bold and wise decision.

Here’s my favorite Iacocca story:

During the time that Chrysler was crawling back from the brink of bankruptcy, Iacocca felt that consumers would respond well to a convertible. He asked his head of engineering how long it would take to make a convertible for him to test-market; the engineer told Iacocca—three years.  Iacocca wanted it immediately so he told his engineers to go to the assembly line, pull a car off the line, take a saw, and cut the top off. That only took about four hours. That afternoon, Iacocca drove the topless sedan around town. It got so much attention and so many favorable comments that Iacocca was convinced that bringing back a convertible would be a huge boost to Chrysler profits. It was.

There are several lessons to learn from this story (for example, leaders make bold decisions) but the one I want to home in on is: leaders have a bias toward action.

We’ve all heard the adage—ready, aim, fire—which sounds like a logical sequence of events, but sometimes we get transfixed on the aim element. Some organizations (and individuals) get bogged down by over-analyzing and over-thinking details and options. Paralysis by analysis sets in; nothing gets done. 

Perhaps we should consider: ready, fire, aim.

Often, there’s value in acting–just do something. Then you can learn from your actions and make course corrections as problems arise. Sometimes it’s better to do something, even if it is wrong, than get trapped in passivity. It’s difficult to steer a stationary bike; start pedaling and then negotiate direction.

Critics of this approach would warn against the dangers of being impulsive, reckless, and careless. I understand.

As usual, the best path is probably somewhere in the middle: avoid both impulsiveness and inaction. But my suggestion is to have a bias toward action. 

Consider again, Iacocca’s insistence on having a convertible to test-drive—immediately. I can’t see any downside. Just cut off the top of a car so the concept can be tested–immediately.

Note to leaders: Through the years I’ve observed that good leaders share a common trait: they take initiative. They have an agenda. They like forward motion. They are bothered by lethargy. They envision a better future and are impatient about getting there. They have a bias toward action. 

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A clear “no” can be more graceful than a vague or noncommittal “yes.”

Think carefully before making commitments. Don’t be impulsive. Your time, energy, and resources are being requisitioned, so respond slowly. When pressured to make a quick decision, make no your default answer. Only say yes after you’ve had the opportunity to fully analyze the situation and come to a wise decision.

If your answer is not a definite yes, then it should be no.

We all keep either a physical or mental to-do list (at least, I hope you do). That’s how work gets identified, organized, and prioritized. We also need to maintain a fictitious “not-to-do-list” which will help us avoid the trivial many. For every one item placed on your to-do list, there will be many opportunities which you should decline.

In Greg McKeown’s terrific book, Essentialism: The Essential Pursuit of Less, he wrote, “Nonessentialists say ‘yes’ automatically, without thinking, often in pursuit of the rush one gets from having pleased someone. But then comes the pang of regret. Eventually they will wake up to the unpleasant reality that something more important must now be sacrificed to accommodate this new commitment. Of course, the point is not to say no to all requests. The point is to say no to the nonessentials so we can say yes to the things that really matter.”

 

I enjoy using items until they are no longer viable.

I bought these suits in 1980 and still wear them on Sunday mornings.

I drive an 18-year old Mountaineer that just turned 200,000 miles.

I have used this bag to carry my music scores for 28 years.

My joy is not just in saving money by using things for a long time, I also enjoy being a good steward of resources. 

The challenge is, we live in a disposable society, also known as a throw-away society. People tend to use items a few times and then discard them. 

The problem is threefold: 

1. 1. 1. We succumb to consumerism—we buy too much stuff, most of which we don’t need.
      2. We prematurely discard items—even when they’re still usable.
      3. We purchase cheap, consumable products instead of durable goods.

The solution is threefold: 

1. 1. 1. Be content with fewer things. Years ago I decided to limit myself to 100 personal items. Here’s a blogpost I wrote about that. One of the best ways to resist consumerism is simply to stop shopping. Seriously, avoid stores and Amazon.
      2. Keep using a product until it doesn’t make sense to continue using it. Enjoy old products that are still viable. (See the examples I gave above.)
      3. When you do purchase an item, buy good quality, durable products. Most products are available in three price categories: cheap, average, expensive. I have discovered that “above-average” is a good target. Avoid cheaply made products and expensive brands (Rolex, Hermes, etc.).

Detachment from stuff gives us more time and resources to focus on the important things in life: people and experiences.