Dale Carnegie said that establishing a groundwork for success begins with the process of leading a more intentional life.

Intentional living requires one to be aware of one's fundamental beliefs, and to be willing to make an effort to have our behaviour reflect these beliefs in the context of our values and environment.

Such self-awareness and knowing who we are and what we want (to do, communicate and contribute) helps us to live more intentionally and give time to our passions.

As leaders we have to continuously make choices, and the attitudes we adopt determine those choices. These decisions have a far-reaching impact not just on us personally, but on our organisations, teams and all stakeholders.

We are surrounded by a culture and we determine its direction by driving our actions through the values we believe in. Imagine the power you can unleash in your teams if you helped your them lead more intentional lives.

Dale Carnegie’s Five Drivers of Success are a great reference point to help you advance the realisation of your goals:

· Build Greater Self Confidence: The easiest way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you. Building credibility will only help your self-confidence grow. Know your capabilities, self-worth and ability to handle a challenging situation.

· Strengthen People Skills: Focus on skills that will help you make a positive impression on others and win you their enthusiastic cooperation instead of mere compliance. When considering how to strengthen one’s people skills, Dale Carnegie’s human relation’s principles are a good place to start. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests, become genuinely interested in others and give honest sincere appreciation.

· Leadership Skills: Influential leaders are self-aware; self-regulated; aware of others’ needs and goals; and are able to build trust-based relationships. They have a highly developed sense of self, and are usually empathic and compassionate too. Self-awareness is the first stepping stone to becoming a great leader. Being able to motivate and inspire people to a higher level of performance begins with knowing your own abilities.

· Enhance Communication Skills: When communicating with others, talk in terms of the other person’s interests. This starts by recognizing shared commonalities. Often, we forget that communication also includes listening. Practice active listening and remember what you have in common with the people around you.

· Control Worry and Stress: Facing a challenging situation with a positive and constructive attitude is an obvious pre-requisite for any leader. Dale Carnegie says “Once you have made a careful decision based on facts, go into action. Don’t begin to hesitate, worry, and retrace your steps. Don’t lose yourself in self-doubting which begets other doubts. Don’t keep looking back over your shoulder.”

The difference between a life of fulfilment and discontentment comes down to our intention to practice growth every day. We go beyond the limitations presented to us by our mind or body. Self-reflection and asking oneself the right questions are the starting points to identifying and contextualizing your strengths and weaknesses. The next step is to apply the lessons learned to future opportunities.