The Noble Intention

Over the past few weeks my pastor has spoken on anger and its effects on ourselves and those around us. He made a good point, one that I make in my presentations on alpha male behavior. He said to consider the motivation behind the other person’s action before you jump off into the deep end of anger. Typically, the motivation was genuine and well intentioned, however, in the acting out it got distorted to the point where it caused you to lose your temper.

A noble intention always has a desired impact. For instance, in one of my previous positions my noble intention was to provide the best possible service to the client, the client’s clients and maintain or upgrade the value of their asset. Well, in the execution of the noble goal I ended up alienating key staff people with my demands, condescension and lack of empathy. Because I did not have their respect, they weren’t doing the job they needed to do which kept my noble intention from having its greatest impact. In many cases we fail to see the full impact of our noble intention because our negative traits interfere with the result. You know it is true for you. It is true for those around you as well.

The noble intention is an important concept to keep in mind as you go through your work day. When the frustration factor goes up, it is helpful to take a step back and attempt to see what the other person’s noble intention was and understand that the pressure or frustration you feel from them is tied to their inability to effectively execute their noble intention. A little understanding always goes a long way in keeping your stress levels down.