Stop Being Misunderstood - Intent, Behavior & Impact

Most conflict doesn't start with bad intent. It starts with the gap between what you meant, what you did, and how someone else experienced it.In this episode, Shaun Dyke sits down with Stephanie Au to break down a framework called Intent → Behavior → Impact. They also cover why leaders walk away thinking "that landed great" while their teams walk away resentful, why "advertising your intent" changes everything, and how to take ownership of the felt experience you create at work and at home.In this conversation, you'll hear:• Why only about 10% of people effectively clarify intent and check for understanding, and why that gap is the one DoorTwo gets hired to fix• A CEO whose post-COVID return-to-work mandate was meant to drive engagement and instead drove badge monitoring, resentment, and disengagement• The exact language to "advertise your intent" before a hard conversation• How confirmation bias and fundamental attribution error trap leaders in a story they don't realize they're telling• Why this is a skill, along with the smallest, low-risk way to start practicing it this weekIf you've ever walked away from a conversation thinking, "That's not what I meant," this one's for you.CHAPTERS0:00 Cold open0:30 Why this episode matters2:03 Stephanie's engagement (and a $1,000 wedding invite)3:52 The framework: Intent → Behavior → Impact7:23 Case study: the return-to-work CEO who lost the room12:18 Counsel for the sender and the receiver14:20 How to actually "advertise your intent"16:21 Parenting and the intent–impact gap18:42 Why this is a skill, not a switch20:10 Confirmation bias and the power-distance trap22:13 Fundamental attribution error25:30 A sender's playbook: verbal processing & advertising intent27:32 The curse of knowledge: "start small, start safe"31:27 A leader who got it right33:36 Final takeaway: own the felt experience—▶ Watch the full In the Arena series: In The Arena with DoorTwo Podcast📬 Get our weekly leadership newsletter: DoorTwo Leadership Newsletter🏢 Learn more about DoorTwo and our work: DoorTwo.com