Three Words That Turn Followers Into Leaders

A counselor walks up to her supervisor. "Should we eat our snack at the bunk or at our last activity?"

The supervisor asks where the activity is. The counselor says the soccer field, right next to the snack shack. The supervisor does the mental math: walking to the snack shack, then back to the bunk, then all the way to soccer makes no sense.

"Get your snack on the way to soccer and eat it there," the supervisor says.

"OK," the counselor replies.

This conversation happens a hundred times a day at every camp. It seems harmless. But something important just happened. The counselor asked permission. The supervisor made the decision. The counselor followed instructions. Everyone did their job.

Except the counselor learned nothing. She'll be back tomorrow with another question.

A Submarine Captain's Discovery

David Marquet commanded the USS Santa Fe, a nuclear submarine. When he took over, the Santa Fe was one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet. By the time he left, it was one of the best.

His secret wasn't discipline or motivation speeches. It was three words: "I intend to."

Marquet stopped answering questions. When a sailor asked, "Should I submerge the ship?" Marquet would reply, "I don't know. Should you?" The sailor would have to think through the decision himself, then come back and say, "Captain, I intend to submerge the ship because we've completed our surface checks and the weather is deteriorating."

The captain's job became simple: "Very well."

Marquet calls this Intent Based Leadership. Instead of leaders giving orders and followers executing them, everyone becomes a leader. The phrase "I intend to" shifts ownership from the person being asked to the person doing the asking.

What It Looks Like at Camp

Let's replay that snack conversation:

"Hey, my last activity is at the soccer field. I intend to pick up our snack on the way there and have the group eat at the field. It will save us a lot of time."

"Sounds good!"

Same outcome. Completely different dynamic. The counselor thought through the logistics, anticipated the supervisor's concerns, and presented a solution. She acted like a leader.

Here's another example. A camper named Riley falls and scrapes her knee. It's minor, but she won't stop crying.

Old way: "Riley has a scrape and won't stop crying. What should I do?"

New way: "Riley fell and has a small scrape, but she won't stop crying. I intend to take her to the infirmary even though it's not serious. I think she just needs some TLC. I've told my co-counselors I'm going, and I'll meet them at lunch in fifteen minutes."

"Sounds good!"

The counselor anticipated every question. Where are your co-counselors? Do they know? How long will you be? She's thinking like her supervisor. And that's the whole point.

The Goal Is "Sounds Good"

The beauty of this system is that it puts pressure in the right place. When you have to say "I intend to," you can't just dump a problem on someone else's desk. You have to think it through first.

What will my supervisor ask? What information do they need to approve this? What's the reasoning behind my decision?

When a counselor gets good at this, the supervisor's job becomes delightfully simple. The answer is almost always "Sounds good."

This works in any setting. An intern at an office job forgets to hole-punch some forms. Old way: "I forgot to hole punch the forms. What should I do?" New way: "I accidentally forgot to hole punch the forms. Since no one is using the copy machine right now and we have a busy afternoon, I intend to recopy them with hole punches and get them into the binders before lunch."

"Sounds good!"

A Word of Warning

If you try this tomorrow without any context, it might feel strange. Your supervisor might wonder why you're suddenly making declarations instead of asking questions.

Let them know what you're doing. "I've been reading about Intent Based Leadership. I'm going to try framing my questions as 'I intend to' statements so I can practice thinking through decisions myself. I'll still need your approval, but I want to come to you with solutions instead of problems."

Most supervisors will be thrilled. You're essentially offering to make their job easier.

The Ripple Effect

The real magic happens over time. When counselors start thinking like supervisors, they develop judgment. They learn to weigh options, anticipate consequences, and take ownership.

And here's the part that matters most: they become ready for the next level. A counselor who spent a summer saying "I intend to" is a counselor who's ready to be a supervisor. They've already been practicing.

Three words won't transform your organization overnight. But they can transform how one person approaches their work today. And if you're that person, you've just taken the first step from follower to leader.

What do you intend to do with that?

About the Author

Matt Kaufman has spent 40 years in summer camp as a camper, counselor, and director, studying what makes people belong, grow, and thrive. He writes about intentional community, leadership, and the intersection of technology and human connection.

Connect with Matt:

• Instagram: @mattlovescamp

• LinkedIn: Matt Kaufman

• Website: ilove.camp

Books by Matt Kaufman:

• The Campfire Effect: How to Engineer Belonging in a Disconnected World (February 2026)

• The Summer Camp MBA: 50 Leadership Lessons from Camp to Career