Intent vs. Impact: How to Bridge the Intent-Impact Gap

Intent is the idea or desire behind an action. It’s what you had in mind or what you were hoping to achieve with a particular way of acting.

Impact is the effect an action has on a person or a community. Although you might desire a specific outcome, the outcome that occurs might not be what you had in mind.

Intent is what you aim to achieve through an action, and impact is how a person or community receives that action. The effect does not always match the intent. Good intentions do not always result in a positive impact. Understanding how and why this happens is a significant step in individual and collective growth, affecting everything from social policy to mental health.

Situations of intent and impact can happen in personal relationships, at the workplace, and in social justice work. Consider the following examples:

1. 1. A surprise party: Take, for example, planning a surprise party for a friend. Your intention might be purely positive; you work hard to organize the party, all while keeping it secret from your friend. When the party occurs, your friend feels put on the spot, perhaps because they are in a low place emotionally and unable to experience the party as a wholly positive experience.
2. 2. Humor at work: In casual moments, a coworker might make a joke that other workers find insensitive or offensive. Being aware of the potential negative impact and admitting when you have made a mistake can prevent misunderstandings from escalating and help with conflict resolution.
3. 3. A company’s new ideas: A workplace trying to thrive on innovation and outside-the-box thinking has to tolerate a certain level of failure. Colleagues aim for success in their new methods, but the impact may be negative if ideas fail.
4. 4. Social media usage: On social media, sometimes the loudest voices get the most attention, even if they aren’t accurate, truthful, or authentic. It’s easy to like and share a link or a post without reflecting on whether or not the post promotes greater wellbeing or is connected to the lived experience of those it is claiming to represent.

The intent-impact gap is a perennial problem in human affairs. Follow these methods below to close this gap and reach better outcomes:

• Restrain your judgment. It’s easy to make a snap judgment of someone based upon actions. While actions do matter, often when the intent is understood, adverse effects can be seen in a new light, and a path to reconciliation can begin. Restraining judgment can minimize miscommunication and lead to forgiveness.
• Communicate openly. Out of mutual respect, people should practice giving and receiving honest feedback. How you say something is as important as what you say. Honoring your feelings and the feelings of others is an essential part of clear communication skills, both in private and professional life.
• Create accountability. Having intent and impact in close alignment often takes building better accountability systems. This is about redressing wrongs but also about incentivizing good behavior. Many organizations have departments specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, to encourage transparency and accountability.

Practicing empathy can help you lead more effectively while building stronger relationships across the personal and professional facets of your life. Challenge your perceptions with the MasterClass Annual Membership and take lessons on emotional intelligence from Pharrell Williams, Roxane Gay, Gloria Steinem, Dr. Cornel West, Walter Mosley, Robert Reffkin, and Robin Arzón.