Years ago, my husband and I built a house in Canberra. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and not for the reasons I expected.
What stayed with me was not the finished product. It was a question our project manager kept returning to throughout the process: what experience do you want to have in this space? Not what features did we want. Not what looked good. What did we want to feel here?
That question changed how we made every decision. It slowed us down in the best possible way. And the house we built as a result, we lived there for over six years and hold beautiful memories of the home, the neighbourhood, and the friendships formed there.
Intentionality is not about having all the answers before you begin. It is about asking the right question first, and letting that question guide what you build.
I have been thinking about that question a great deal lately. Because it applies just as much to the work we build, the roles we inhabit, and the way we show up for the people we lead.
The leaders I work with who navigate change most effectively are almost always the ones who pause to ask it. Not what do I need to do next? but what experience do I want to create — for myself, for my team, for the people I serve? That question reorients everything.
This week, wherever you are building, a strategy, a team, a next chapter, try starting there.
What experience do you want to create? And is what you are building actually designed to deliver it?
P.S.
I have been asking myself the same question about this work. The result is a refreshed Burn Bright Not Out, and a new website, built with a clearer sense of the experience I want you to have when you arrive. If you are curious, you are welcome to visit at maryvazcoaching.com.
Till next week,
Mary
Strategic transition coach for senior leaders