This blog is part of our Remote Leadership Series. It was written anonymously by a leader currently participating in the Lead From Anywhere programme. The reflections below are shared with permission.
I came into session number 2 of Lead From Anywhere thinking I already understood what “intentional leadership” meant. However, this session was helpful for me because it provided a simple reframe: intentional leadership involves identifying collective purpose and making a deliberate effort to communicate and nurture that sense of purpose across a team. The greatest risk for leaders is when we default to habit, assumption, or convenience – and we drop the ball.
Lots of leaders run on autopilot because they think they know best, whereas they will see better results when they keep an ear close to the ground, listen to the real challenges, and empower their teams to thrive under pressure.
Here are five things that stood out from session 2
1. Intentional leadership is the opposite of “autopilot.”
The most useful definition I took from the session was also the most direct: leading with intentionality means making a deliberate effort, not running on assumptions.
That matters because “autopilot” is not neutral. Autopilot usually looks like convenience. It looks like reacting to the loudest issue, giving attention to the most visible work, and communicating only when something breaks.
My takeaway: If you want different results, you need different inputs. These inputs should be consciusly
2. Start with how you want people to feel.
We did an exercise that asked a simple question:
How would you like people on a team led by you to feel?
My answers captured four “feelings” that are actually outcomes:
- Ambitious (able to hit targets and reach potential)
- Supported (confident dealing with blockers)
- Successful (turning effort into a positive narrative)
- Valued (knowing their input is a vital contribution)
What surprised me is how rarely leaders begin with feeling. We often start with what people need to do, or what performance needs to look like, what the outcome is. But the emotional experience of the team is not “soft”. It is the atmosphere where performance either happens or doesn’t. The atmosphere leads to the outcome.
My takeaway: If you want people to think critically, speak up and challenge each other, grow, and collaborate effectively, you need to lead for how it feels to work with you.
3. The “small consistent actions” are the whole point.
The follow-on question in the exercise was even more practical:
What is one actionable thing you can do consistently as a leader to support the team feeling this way?
The examples are obvious, but quite fundamental:
- For ambition: regularly remind people of the mission and targets
- For support: 1:1 DMs asking if they need help with any blockers.
- For success: reflect back wins and call out where obstacles were overcome.
- For being valued: communicate how important someone’s contribution is, both to the wider team and individually.
There was also a specific point that stuck with me. It is important to listen to how colleagues talk about their own work – we might notice negative language or low confidence in a particular area. Picking up on this and empowering or redirecting someone could help them gain confidence or skills. This approach might be missed if we only focus on deliverables and ignore the individual’s working patterns, processes and mindset.
My takeaway: Pay attention to developing the person – the results will follow.
4. Trust comes before behaviour.
One phrase from the breakout stayed with me: “Lead with Trust”. Trust precedes the outcome.
That sounds obvious until you see how often teams do the opposite: we wait for evidence before we offer trust, but the conversation in the breakout room in session 2 challenged that. Trust empowers people to do things they can already do, but positive support can also empower people to accomplish things they once believed they could not do.
The breakout notes also surfaced what teams want to feel when trust is present: confidence in the leader, the ability to speak their mind without aggression, and a sense of psychological safety. There was a very real reminder underneath it: team members can feel isolated – especially in a distributed environment. Good leadership must account for that.
My takeaway: Trust is not the reward for high performance. It is the condition that facilitates high performance
“I found this training invaluable… I have already implemented strategies learned for the benefit of my team and the organisation as a whole.” – Pamela Coy, Leading Remote & Hybrid Teams graduate
5. Psychological safety is built through everyday facilitation.
The session kept returning to psychological safety, and what it actually looks like on a team. Some suggestions from the group;
- Be open to challenge and create space for feedback, especially in a group.
- Use constructive feedback: commend, recommend, highlight the best, and summarise.
- Take feedback well and confidently to show you’re listening and that the team is valued, without pretending you must act on everything.
- Choose the right communication format and be clear when you expect an answer.
I also found it useful that the notes linked psychological safety to trustworthiness: ability, integrity, and benevolence (do people trust that you care about them?). The closing points pulled it back to leadership modelling: the leader should model the culture of the organisation, as part of the team, not above it.
My takeaway: Psychological safety helps teams thrive as it builds trust, openness and loyalty. It must be curated each day, especially when a leader is under pressure.
The February cohort of Lead From Anywhere is now open. Full funding to the value of €1,350 per person is available until 19th February. Limited availability – first come, first served.