State Your Intent

Preface bold ideas with a declaration of your motivations to prevent misinterpretation

Chris Hutchins
Launching and growing a podcast | Chris Hutchins (All the Hacks, Wealthfront, Google)

State Your Intent

"It would go a long way before you said that, you said, 'Hey guys, I've got some crazy ideas, but before I say them, I just want you to know that all I care about is that the company is successful. And I think this idea will make the company successful. And that's why I'm so excited about it. I don't need to own it. I don't care who owns it, I'm just really excited about it.'" - Andy Rachleff (via Chris Hutchins)

What It Is

State Your Intent is a communication technique for advocating bold or controversial ideas within organizations. Before presenting ideas that might threaten existing work or challenge colleagues, explicitly declare that your motivation is the company's success—not personal advancement, ego, or political maneuvering.

Even in companies where "assume best intent" is a stated value, people naturally assume that when someone pushes back or proposes dramatic changes, they may be acting out of self-interest. This assumption triggers defensiveness and makes it harder for good ideas to get fair consideration.

By proactively stating your intent, you give people permission to evaluate your idea on its merits rather than spending mental energy questioning your motives.

How It Works

The Problem: When you advocate strongly for an idea—especially one that challenges existing work or suggests deleting features—colleagues may think:

  • "They just think their idea is better than everyone else's"
  • "They're trying to expand their scope"
  • "They want credit for something big"
  • "They're being political"

The Solution: Before presenting the controversial idea, state explicitly:

  1. What you care about (company success, not personal credit)
  2. Why you're excited about the idea (its potential impact)
  3. Your lack of attachment to ownership (you don't need to own it)

The Formula: "Before I share this, I want you to know that [my motivation]. I think this could [potential impact], and that's why I'm excited about it. I don't care who owns it—I just think it could be really valuable."

How to Apply It

  1. Recognize when it's needed - Use this technique when you're about to:

    • Propose deleting or significantly changing existing work
    • Challenge a decision that's already been made
    • Advocate for something that could be seen as self-serving
    • Push back repeatedly on a topic

  2. Be genuine - Only state intents you actually hold. If you do care about ownership, this technique will backfire.

  3. Keep it brief - One or two sentences is enough. Don't over-explain or it sounds defensive.

  4. Use it proactively - State your intent before the idea, not after people have already become defensive.

  5. Repeat as needed - In long discussions or across multiple meetings, remind people of your intent if tensions rise.

Example:

Without stating intent: "We should delete the dashboard feature and build this completely new thing instead. It's going to be amazing." Result: Team that built the dashboard gets defensive

With stating intent: "Hey, I've got a crazy idea, and I want to be upfront—I'm only saying this because I think it could really help the company, not because I need to own it or think my ideas are better. What if we rethought the entire dashboard approach? Here's what I'm seeing..." Result: People can evaluate the idea without questioning motives

When to Use It

  • Proposing significant changes to existing products or features
  • Challenging colleagues' work in reviews or meetings
  • Advocating for ideas that expand your scope
  • Pushing back multiple times on the same issue
  • Presenting ideas that could be perceived as politically motivated
  • Any situation where you notice people seem defensive

Source

  • Guest: Chris Hutchins
  • Episode: "Launching and growing a podcast | Chris Hutchins (All the Hacks, Wealthfront, Google)"
  • Key Discussion: (00:19:03) - Learning from Andy Rachleff about stating intent when advocating for bold ideas
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

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