The Power of Intention
By Becky Salato, Superintendent, Konocti Unified School District
Last summer, right before school started, Konocti Unified School District leaders came together to set our intentions for the school year–both individually and collectively.
After some reflection, I realized I had allowed myself to get lost in work. I was living to work when I should have been working to live. So, I set an intention to fix that. I know I cannot serve my community if I’m pouring from an empty glass.
Each member of our management team chose a word of intention to help us recognize when we stray from our chosen path. Why? Research shows when you set a specific intention, you are more likely to succeed.
A word of intention should feel like a presence, a gentle pressure you can feel but can't see. It's a guide to help us return to the person we most want to be. That word of intention can be anything as long as it reminds us to prioritize that which we value most.
Our leaders chose words like inspire, collaborate, focus, commitment, communication, support, possibility, and positivity. My word is balance. It’s simple but powerful. When we are balanced, we function more effectively. When a car’s tires are balanced, the ride is smoother and safer. Think of almost any object–when it’s in balance, it performs better.
Four years ago, I moved here from Southern California. Even when relocating is a great decision, it is really disruptive. I had to become familiar with a new area, meet new people, and learn a new job. I completely threw myself into the challenge, doing as much as I could as quickly as I could to learn all I needed to know about my new community. I filled my calendar with as many school and community events as I could fit in, never taking time to rest, and as happens when we are out of balance, it caught up with me.
When we make everything an urgent priority, we have no way to filter out the activities that are not serving us. I began to see areas in my personal and professional life where I was not being as effective as I could be. I needed BALANCE.
For me, balance can mean different choices at different times. One week I may need to focus heavily on community networking or operational meetings to keep the district running. The following week, however, I will make a point of prioritizing school events, from sports matches to CTE events to artistic performances. All the while, I will do my best to include some downtime for personal reflection and time with family.
I know balance isn’t unique to me. We all have limited resources, whether it’s time, attention, money or something else. We cannot be everywhere and do everything all at once. We must balance competing needs. In our schools, we build the daily schedule around balancing time for learning, exercise, breaks, nutrition, stimulus, and quiet time. At the district office, we allocate human resources, fiscal resources, and other types of support to do the most good for the most people as best we can.
In education, as in parenting and so many other endeavors that involve children, we must lead by example. Students pay attention not only to what we do, but how we do it.
All of us who are responsible for raising and educating children need to be intentional about what we want children to learn and how we want to teach them, and part if this requires us to manage our own limitations. Therefore, we each need a different guiding word or intention for the year. Right now, at the halfway mark of the school year and the beginning of a new calendar year, is a great time to revisit those intentions.
Do you have intentions for 2024? What are they? And what one word will help you stay focused on what you care about most?