I’m currently re-reading “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara. It’s a phenomenal book sprinkled with nuggets of wisdom throughout the pages; however, chapter three introduces a main concept that is carried throughout the rest of the book. The chapter title sums it up best: “The Extraordinary Power of Intention” (full review coming soon).

What does it mean to be intentional?

“Intention means every decision, from the most obviously significant to the seemingly mundane, matters. To do something with intentionality means to do it thoughtfully, with clear purpose and an eye on the desired result.”

The author reiterates this point later in the book (chapter 11) when he states: “The way you do one this is the way you do everything.” Even the smallest details matter. If I know you won’t cut a corner that seemingly doesn’t matter, I know I can trust you with the big things that must be done right.

When he references his father in this chapter he mentions that he would map “out his days with precision, organizing his priorities, and setting his non-negotiables.” Do I have a pre-determined list of corners I refuse to cut? Is it my health? My family? My code quality or code reviews?

Then, as we end the chapter, he hits a chord close to home for me as a software engineer. He writes, “[it’s] easier to learn the right way to do things at the high end than it is to break bad habits. You can always take it down a notch later, but it’s harder to go the other way.” I’ve personally seen a lot of bad habits form because I didn’t want to be too uptight or too unreasonable or maybe…too intentional. This is ultimately a mistake – once those bad habits form it is much harder to enforce the higher standard. Start high, take it down a notch if necessary.

Extra Credit

As we begin chapter four he tells a great story that might just belong in chapter three instead…

“The next day, Floyd asked me to chop an onion. It was terrifying. I’d done a little cooking and attended some culinary classes in college, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to do it to his standard, and I didn’t. Floyd didn’t yell, but he did toss my onion in the trash and take the knife out of my hand so he could show me how to do it correctly. Watching the intensity and respect and focus he brought to that most humble of kitchen tasks was a good preview for what was to come.”

The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.