Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water."

Are you an emerging female leader in business? If so, you've likely already faced your share of "hot water" moments that challenge the growth of your company and your professional journey.

More women are taking center stage as leaders and entrepreneurs, and it's critical for rising leaders to gain clarity, determination, and confidence to lead effectively.

Dedicated to helping other women in business succeed, Cindy Monroe is a trailblazer who has made it her mission to empower and support women in their entrepreneurial journeys.

As founder and CEO of Thirty-One Gifts, Cindy helped lead her company to nearly $800 million in sales in its first ten years. As Thirty-One celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, Cindy understands what it takes to lead a company in today's competitive business environment.

Through her podcast, Permission to Lead, she also dedicates part of her time to mentoring executives and business owners to flourish personally and professionally. 

According to Cindy, one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is not having a clear vision of the path to success they want to create and setting goals without any intentions behind them.

In one of her tools, "5 Steps to Setting Your Best Goals," Cindy explains how to set meaningful intentions for your business and lead with clarity and confidence. 

Here we share some of her strategies:

1. Frame your Future

Before setting any specific goals, Cindy encourages you to frame the future of your ideal year. To do this, she suggests asking yourself questions like:

What does your ideal life look like in the next 12 months? What does your ideal family and personal life look like? What does a thriving career look like for you? What do you want to be known for this year?

Reflecting on these questions will give you clarity and focus on what steps must be taken to reach your destination.

2. Pick Your Focus

Finding your "true north" is essential to creating a successful business.

Cindy suggests that you pick one category out of five and work on it first. This could be anything from purpose to family, work, finances, or community.

By breaking down the different facets of your life, it becomes easier to prioritize and set specific goals.

3. Assess Your Intentions

Cindy explains that you should assess your intentions in detail to ensure success.

Ask yourself questions: Why do I feel change is necessary in this area of my life? Who is impacted by this area of my life? What are my intentions in this area of life? What would staying clear and consistently focused on my intentions ideally look like this next year?

These questions allow you to understand better your goals and what it will take to achieve them.

4. Map it Out

After envisioning your future, narrowing your focus, and evaluating your goals, you can begin to plot out your path to success as an entrepreneur or business leader.

Cindy recommends breaking down your goals into small actionable steps that can be completed in a short amount of time. This is important as it will help keep you motivated and create momentum toward achieving the bigger goal.

For example, if you set a goal of increasing revenue by 20% this year, break down the steps into small, achievable milestones that can be achieved over time.

5. Take Action

Finally, Cindy urges you to get moving. Writing down your goals and action steps on a notecard, keeping it with you, and reading it every day will help you build motivation and momentum toward success. Keeping track of progress is also essential to ensure goals are met.

Additionally, trust in the process and understand that it takes time to achieve meaningful success; short-term wins should not be the only focus.

"I believe you deserve the tools to lead your business with clarity and confidence, but you also need to give yourself permission to be intentional, set boundaries, and carve out the space for what you really want," says Cindy.

With her guidance, you can lead with clarity and confidence, achieving the success you've always dreamed of.

Visit her website today and start setting meaningful intentions for your business and personal lives. Get your free ebook here.