Everybody creates impact, whether we acknowledge it or not. We all impact the people around us, the environment we live in, the work we do, the organisations and cultures we lead. Being aware of the impact we have and deliberate about the impact we want to have however, that is a leadership skill worth developing and nurturing.
When reflecting on our leadership impact we need to create a strong sense of what that impact is and then seek to understand what in our behaviour creates that impact, what might enhance it, and what works against it.
So often I work with leaders that are flat out all day and haven’t been able to create the time or space to reflect on this. Get off the treadmill and pause to firstly think about what you want your leadership impact to be. Secondly to really understand what your current impact is and then thirdly be deliberate about what changes you need to make to amplify your impact in a very positive way.
Because we all have impact even when we’re not deliberately thinking about it, often, we need to focus our attention as much on undoing some of the habits already in place as we do on creating new ones.
Do you want to be a leader that motivates, inspires and creates real momentum across your business? This sort of energy is very contagious. But so is the energy of the leaders who show up as negative, stressed and so busy they don’t have time to scratch themselves.
So, what impact do you want to have?
Our next series of blogs are going to help you build the kind of leadership impact you will be proud of. We are going to talk you through the three stages to optimising leadership impact, a framework we call the 3 Ps:
1️⃣ PLAN for Impact: To start your planning, think about the question above. It is key to have clarity on the impact you want to have. Having a clear intent for the kind of influence, change or improvements you want to affect.
2️⃣ PRACTICE creating positive Impact: This is going to be where your habit making skills get the biggest work out. Where you will face your fears, push through and optimise.
3️⃣ Measure the PROGRESS of your Impact: Often the forgotten part of the equation and yet so central to making your efforts stick. It is the stage where you get most satisfaction out of the work you’ve put in, where you get to celebrate.
These three stages will set the structure for implementing the elements we have developed in our IMPACT model in a way that enhances their power.
Ultimately, the leadership impact we want to have can only be optimised when you have planned the use of these elements, practiced them often and measured the progress you make.
We’ll start with the planning next Tuesday. Till then, have a lovely rest of the week.