INTENTIONALITY. INTEGRITY. INTENSITY.
A long time ago in London Ontario, a little boy was a rugrat of a child. Running the streets of his small farm town with the other hoodlums around the neighborhood. He would take his dad’s car for joy rides, hitchhike across the US, or get fired from every job he had.
However, as time slowly passed on this little boy turned into a man. He moved to the United States to meet the love of his life and began a family with two amazing twin boys and later, a daughter. The rambunctious nature of his youth was slipping away as bills began to pile up and his family’s needs formed before him. A family to take care of. To protect and guide.
As Dave’s career continued to morph and the children continued to grow, he knew that starting his own staffing service was his next best opportunity. As the business grew along with his family, they both adopted a philosophy around the three I’s; Intentionality, Integrity and Intensity.
While growing the business and trying to remain present at home, these three I’s became very important to him and sustaining the relationships he cherished most, both at work and at home! Although, what do they mean and how do they apply? Intentionality. Intentionality refers to the conscious and deliberate action of directing one’s thoughts, behavior, and decisions towards a specific purpose or desired outcome. It involves having a clear understanding of one’s goals, objectives and aligning one’s actions in a deliberate manner to achieve them. Intentionality also encompasses being mindful of the impact and consequences of one’s actions, ensuring that they are in line with one’s values and long-term vision. Individuals who practice intentionality are purpose-driven, proactive, and focused on creating both meaningful and purposeful outcomes.
At home, having intentionality can look like scheduled meals with your children, a bedtime routine with the baby. This can be a date night with a significant other or a visit to see your family. It means being intentional with your family and loved ones, taking action towards them in some capacity or another. Maybe you write someone a card, or mow someone’s lawn. Therefore, all are deliberate actions to achieve a goal of a relationship. At work this can be seen through completing all of the work that has been asked of you, setting goals for your work productivity and holding yourself accountable to it. Intentionality at work can be getting to know your co-workers and showing up on time consistently! Having intentionality in an employee is valuable!
Integrity. Integrity is the adherence to a strong set of moral and ethical principles and values, both in personal and professional life. It involves consistently acting in an honest, transparent, and ethical manner, even when faced with challenges or temptations. Integrity encompasses being accountable for one’s actions, taking responsibility for mistakes, and maintaining consistency between one’s words respected for their strong moral character, reliability, and commitment to doing what is right, even in difficult circumstances.
Integrity can be a little more challenging to distinguish between. Sure, there is right and wrong. Do’s and don’ts. Don’t steal from your employer at work. Don’t cheat on your spouse at home. Though, integrity goes beyond that. It means saying something if you see something. It means holding yourself accountable for the information that you are aware of and doing what is within your power to support those that need you. It means having the best intentions for the people that are close to you and following through with your beliefs, actions and words even when no one is watching whether the topic is professional or personal. Having an employee who has high integrity is beyond valuable.
Intensity. Intensity refers to the degree of concentration, effort and passion that an individual puts into their work or activities. It is characterized by a high level of focus, determination, and energy directed towards achieving a particular goal or outcome. Intensity often involves pushing oneself beyond their comfort zones and maintaining a relentless pursuit of excellence. Individuals who exhibit intensity are known for their unwavering commitment, resilience and willingness to go the extra mile to accomplish their objectives.
Intensity can be seen through so many things and in so many different ways. Intensity can look like giving one’s fullness in every capacity. It can also look like longevity and stability. Intensity can be seen through consistency and repetition. Intensity, much like intentionality and integrity is not a tangible thing but rather one of the most valuable qualities for a human to have. If you are not intense with anything, what are you? I invite you to intensely care and take action on those cares! Both at work and at home.
Finding qualities in people that are not tangible is hard! Especially in the hiring process! How do you get to know these candidates beyond the external shell that they don’t want you to see? Now, bear with me as I go a little Yoda but the answer is in the question. If you bring intentionality, integrity and intensity to the interview you will be able to see fairly quickly what kind of employee is sitting in the seat across from you. When you intentionally prepare for the interview, when you ask earnest questions with high intensity it can be easy to break a shell away.
A long time ago in a faraway place, Dave MacDonald decided he was going to do his best to emulate his life by the III’s philosophy. Since then he has hired all internal employees who he sees the III’s in and now they have the opportunity to try and hire more employees who also have the III’s for you!
Staffing is a challenging game to play. When profitability and productivity are at risk, it is vital that you give your hiring practices result in valuable employees!
The fall season has started and the trade show season is back! If this spikes your interest at all come swing by one of our booths and ask us about getting a free book on the topic. We published a recent hiring guide and look forward to sharing it with all of you!
