The People, Process, & Progress Podcast - Tools to Reset Your Intent | Focus Friday

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

We already know what to do and what not to do in our lives, but when our intent drifts, so does our progress. This Focus Friday builds on When Strategy Fails: Fix the Intent Gap by combining principles from The Stability Equation and The People, Process, and Progress of Project Management to help you reset your intent, align your people and process, and move forward with purpose.

you already know what to do you know what not to do you've read the books listen to the podcast written the plans but knowing isn't the problem remembering where you started is intent fades when ownership slips processes get rushed and when faith in your purpose takes a back seat so today let's talk about how to reset your intent the same way we set a failing strategy or drifting project Welcome to People Process Progress. I'm Kevin Pinell, author of The Stability Equation and the People Process and Progress of project management. On this podcast and the People Process Progress YouTube channel, I share lessons from life, leadership, training, and exercise ideas to help you own your growth, align your work, and anchor your teams through practical steps. Now let's get into it. This week's full episode was when strategy fails fix the intent gap.

That gap doesn't exist just in boardrooms and project plans. It lives in us. when we lose focus, skip the gym, ignore the boundaries, or drift from our purpose. Resetting intent means coming back to center through the same frameworks that guide our teams and our lives. So let's look at the people process and progress components of resetting our intent. So from my book, The People Process and Progress of Project Management, you may know that people are the foundation of every successful plan, or if you've just been part of a team, right? That includes you.

before you can lead a team back to alignment, you have to realign yourself. Even though I wrote a book called Disability Equation, that doesn't mean I'm automatically stable all the time. So what can we ask ourselves? Ask, who do I need to reconnect with to strengthen my intent? Maybe it's your family. Maybe it's your team, your coach, or your faith. Connection fuels that accountability, and then accountability helps us reset our intent. Let's talk about a process.

In both life and work, right, process keeps intent from drifting. It keeps us all on the same page, right? When our daily routines fall apart, so does our clarity. I didn't work out yesterday on purpose thinking, I'll take the day off. And mentally, I was not awesome. For me, I start my day. I get up, give thanks, make my bed, walk, work out, repeat every day of my life. and that for me provides huge benefits and when I don't do it, I can tell the difference.

So how can we reset like I'm thinking about to get back to these basics? One, let's use that definition of done for yourself though. What does a good day look like? To me, it looks like doing those things. When my alarm goes off, sitting there and giving thanks, making my bed every day, getting dressed, working out, and then getting ready for work. Once you know what Dunn looks like, meaning as a 51 year old male, I want to be able to do X number of pushups or be able to, you know, run a mile at next time so that my cardiovascular system and my longevity are improved, et cetera, et cetera, right? Dunn doesn't have to be super fancy. It just has to clearly outline things.

And along with that and to help support like we do in any good plan, let's make some smart objectives, right, that are specific, they're measurable, they're achievable, they're realistic and timebound. In fitness, I find, people that have been sedentary, let's say, or they want to ramp it up, don't set realistic expectations, or they see all these unrealistic expectations all over the internet. Right. But you have to realize you are where you are. Your intent is yours. Most people, their intent should be to get in better shape so they can live longer, do more, be active with their kids, take care of their parents.

They're pretty practical. And so set some smart objectives for yourself that are, bring you balance and help you not be burned out. And then a third process is, what's your communication plan with yourself? What are you listening to? What are you watching? What are you telling yourself that shapes your mind? How we talk to ourself makes a difference.

What we watch makes a difference, right? I talked about that in the stability equation. I've talked about it here. The boundaries we do or don't set between us and what we watch. I've seen videos pop up and it's people getting assaulted or this and that. And I don't go search for it. algorithms, I must have clicked on it in the past, but it's upsetting, right? Or scary movies you think, man, that can freak you out or freak your kids out or something like that. So pay

attention to what's on your kids' phones, what's on your phone, what they hear you say, right? What they see you watching. And do the same for yourself. Process protects our purpose. Let's talk about progress, right? It's not just doing more. It's doing what matters. Again, maybe you got off track. So how do you get back on track? Do the things we talked about, right? Think about what your intent is, your definition done, your smart objectives. How are you communicating? In the stability equation, I talk about seven pillars, right? Ownership, mindfulness, movement, boundaries, connections, sleep and faith. These are things for me that when my intent was way off, my mind was off, my nerves were firing all over the place. They had a lot going on and

I wasn't taking good care of myself. These are the areas that really helped me, these seven pillars. And if you feel off track, just start with one pillar. I mentioned boundaries, right? Maybe you're stand up too late, playing too many games, watching too many violent things. Maybe you're blaming others and you need to take more ownership. Maybe you're not getting enough sleep, which a lot of people are not. So dive into that. I have solutions. You can Google it out there. It's hard to fix it at first. And then when you fix your sleep, it's a world changing thing. But you have to own your choices. You need to move your body and there is such value in re-anchoring your faith or reconnect with someone you've drifted from. These small resets build big momentum. So here's a reset framework.

I know I talked about some other tools and it's very practical. Own what slipped. No excuses, no shame. Plan your reset with clear intent. Act through one pillar or process change and reflect Sunday night on what shifted, right, to restart your week. Whether it's a project or your personal routine, the intent must be reinforced through consistent, small course corrections. So let's reflect on this, you know, as we close up the short episode. Again, you already know what to do. There's a lot of solutions out there and I went and found things and you realize,

oh, these are all pretty straightforward. Now it's time to remember why. Why do you work the job? Why did you become a parent? Why are you a husband or a wife? Why do you exercise? Why do you not exercise? Not doing things is also a conscious decision.

Intent isn't just the plan on paper. It's the pulse behind every action that matters. Reset it, protect it, live it, in your work, your workouts, and your walk of faith. So before the day ends, your call to action in mind is to state to yourself, my intent is to dot, dot, dot, dot, you fill in the blank, right? then follow through. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be very purposeful. Thank you for being purposeful and hitting play on the People Process Progress Podcasts. For those of you that have read the People Process and Progress of Project Management, I really appreciate you taking the time to buy the book, read the book.

Please leave a review for this podcast. It helps folks find it. The Project Management Focus book is very practical. It's a book that others have told me they wish they had when they started. It's not going to get you ready for certification, but it will get you ready or make you a better project manager for the real world. The stability equation I touched on, it will help you understand key areas of your life and from other authors that I read that I learned from. Johan Hari on Connection, Jaka Willink on ownership, and many other people in the book, these are areas that when I was super anxious and having depressed, depressive episodes and just worried about the world and off-kilter, refocusing on these areas and getting

my intent back in line. It made a big difference. And I would ask you to check out the same. You can follow me on Twitter and X at Penel KG, P-A-N-E-L-L-K-G. And on YouTube, on YouTube, the People Process Progress YouTube channel, you can get workout ideas about 60 seconds at a time, cold plunge action, Jiu-Jitsu After Action reports. And of course, you can connect with me on LinkedIn. Thank you so much for being here. Stay safe, everybody. Wash your hands and God's beat. Thank you.