The benefits of being intentional
The root of the word “intentional” is intent; in a practical business setting, being intentional is to act in a deliberate way to guide your organization. Businesses, governments, non-profits and individuals who acknowledge and focus on being intentional are those most likely to be successful.
In business, as in life, it’s incumbent upon us to be intentional in our efforts: being intentional in our efforts to work collaboratively with our co-workers and partners, being intentional in choosing not to whine about our situations and instead focus on changing our perspectives, being intentional in creating and keeping on task with budgets and being intentional with our to-do lists.
Many of my observations have been experienced through watching the actions of people doing business development – basically trying to grow their business. People in the midst of growing their business are often very intentional in their efforts. These efforts might be through networking programs, participation in educational programs. Intentional efforts might include active participation in networking programs, educational events, community programming, and occasionally through taking advantage of marketing or business development benefits through the Partnership.
Being intentional is not limited only to business efforts, but also to governmental programs and efforts. Moving from a mindset of “have to” do things to a mindset of “making things happen” is a subtle yet important shift in thinking. For example, local governments “have to” provide for basic services such as roads and bridges. We’re fortunate that many of our local governments also choose to “make things happen” to positively influence our community.
Take the economic development effort led by the Vail Valley Partnership as an example; the purpose of an intentional economic development effort is to positively influence economic change, and is expressed in terms of wealth generation, economic diversification, job growth & preservation and building the local tax base. This type of development of our economy doesn’t happen by accident – it takes an intentional and thoughtful commitment to being proactive.
Economic development is everyone’s business because quality jobs provide us with much more than our basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing. Gainful employment also represents our healthcare, our children’s education, and our retirement. Essentially, a good job is the basis for quality of life. Our local communities, municipalities and county governments understand this and are working to proactively build economic environments that are supportive of local businesses, are increasingly attractive to new businesses and entrepreneurs, and are active in programs such as the EGE Air Alliance to help solidify economic resilience.
The continuing viability of any local economy depends upon an intentional and thoughtful long-term planning and practical approaches to economic development. With this in mind, Vail Valley Partnership remains focused and engaged on implementing a clear vision for how Eagle County should support and invest in economic development. We’ve had recent success with business relocations and support for local businesses looking for business financing. We’re implementing a comprehensive business retention & expansion program, and we’ve launched VailValleyMeansBusiness.com to better position our community as a place to do business.
The best and most effective way to build the foundation for continued success is to be intentional and deliberate to impact future outcomes. We are intentional and deliberative in our efforts to achieve our vision to enhance the economic vitality of the Vail Valley and we thank those in both the public sector and our members in the private sector who are equally intentional in their efforts.
This mindset of being intentional and continuing to focus on efforts such as economic development when times are good and cash registers are ringing ensures we’ll be more resilient to the next inevitable downturn.
Save the date of July 23 from 8:30am-11am for the annual Vail Valley Business Forum to learn more about how our community is being intentional in our efforts to create a business-friendly Eagle County. Learn more at VailValleyPartnership.com
Chris Romer is president & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership