Leader's Intent (Or, How to Leave Without Everything Falling Apart)
"I'm traveling to Europe so I'll be working double days - putting in a full day Eastern Time after my packed day of meetings."
"I'm on vacation but I'll be checking email three times a day."
"I'll take a step back after we go public."
If your team can't function in your absence, you're not building a team - you're building a dependency.
What Firefighters Know That You Don't
When a fire chief can't be beside their team, the team still makes the right calls. How? Leader's intent.
It's a simple framework with three parts:
Task: What's the objective?
Purpose: Why does this need to be done?
End state: What should success look like?
Equipped with this, a firefighter can execute in a way that's faithful to their leader's vision - without needing constant check-ins.
Why This Matters for You
Setting your team up to succeed in your absence isn't just about vacation. It's about scalability and deploying your team (and yourself) strategically.
If you're the bottleneck for every decision, you're limiting what your team can accomplish. And you're guaranteeing that nothing moves forward when you're not available.
How to Build It
Delegate with intention. Don't just assign tasks. Explain the why and the desired outcome. If your team hasn't done your work in your presence, they won't do it well in your absence.
Define shared values. If a core value is "be accountable to the client," your team has a guideline for navigating client challenges without you. (Remember to acknowledge and discuss that some values are more aspirational than fully realized.)
Build trust. Often, leaders can't step away because they don't trust their team. If that's you, ask yourself why. Then address it. Encouraging conversation, listening well, and improving communication are free ways to start.
Leader's intent isn't just for when you're away. It's how you lead accountable high-performers instead of managing people who need handholding to move forward.
Ellie Hearne facilitates offsites for leaders navigating complexity, and teaches AI, innovation, and strategy at Oxford University's Saïd Business School. She serves as a trustee of the University of St Andrews American Foundation.