Many people have asked how I came up with Intentional AdVennTures as a company name, so in my new website’s first official blog, here’s the background.
To start, Intentional is influenced by the work of 19th century Italian civil engineer, Vilfredo Pareto. Early in my career, I learned about his Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 Rule) while studying value engineering for highway construction. Basically, the principle predicts that 80% of consequences come from 20 percent of causes (the vital few). We were taught that for any given project, 80 percent of construction costs resulted from 20 percent of the project’s items of work, and value engineering focused on finding alternative means, methods, or materials to lower the cost of those items while preserving the overall function of a project.
The 80/20 Rule stuck with me. Through learning, self-reflection, and growth over time, I came to understand and appreciate how my personal, professional, and organizational life (the three lenses) could be enhanced through focus on the 20% of efforts, the vital few things, that lead to 80% of results. Success and achievement of goals come by being Intentional.
And the interesting spelling of AdVennTures? Early on in my coaching efforts, I worked with some high potential leaders that viewed growth opportunities across the three lenses as a zero-sum game. They saw correlation between professional and organizational growth goals, but almost always at a cost to personal goals, particularly when asked to stretch outside their comfort zones.
To address the zero-sum thinking and explore a more integrated work-life philosophy, I focused dialog with these leaders on each of the three lenses: personal motivators and life goals; learning, experience, competencies, and personal attributes needed to achieve professional goals; and the strategies, resources and relationships that were being applied to organizational growth goals. We then explored synergies and mutually beneficial results that could come from intentional efforts across the three lenses. In essence, we found the intersection of a Venn diagram for personal, professional, and organizational goals, along with some exciting AdVennTures for the future.
Now you know what’s in the name. Focusing effort on the alignment of personal, professional, and organizational goals results in life’s most fulfilling and Intentional AdVennTures.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and perspectives!
