Intentional by Design

I have left more than one job because of a gap.

Not a gap in skills, or resources, or even vision. A gap between what an organization said it stood for and how it actually operated from the inside. The mission statement on the wall and how people were, or were not, supported. The values listed on the website and the expectations that greeted you on a Monday morning.

I raised it however I could. I tried to help close it. And when I hit enough resistance and started to feel the disconnect in my body, I eventually had to go.

What struck me each time was not exactly the hypocrisy. It was the unawareness. Most of these organizations genuinely believed they were living their values. The gap wasn't intentional. It was structural. Nobody had examined whether the systems underneath the values were actually built to carry them, not just for the clients or customers, but also for those inside delivering the service.

That is the work intentional design tries to do.