Focus on what you can Impact, Influence, and Inspire
I mentioned in my last post about a situation surrounding my old company, Daptiv. In working there for 10 years I built a lot of relationships, and no matter how things have transpired, I still value both the company, the product and the customers. Given that emotional tie, it was difficult to see the challenge they were dealing with, and not be able to help or do anything about it. In my previous role there I would have been “in the mix” and active in that process. But, as I was stewing and stirring about it, and checking my phone, email, etc for new updates, new comments on the blog post, etc, it hit me...that this isnt my battle to fight....my time there is done, and it is in fact time to move on. I came to the realization that as much as I might have ties to them, I need to focus on the things in front of me that I have the opportunity to Impact, Influence and Inspire. Three powerful words for sure, and core to where I want to go with my career and the next opportunity. I thought I would touch a bit on each of these words in the context of leadership and how as leaders, when we focus our time and efforts on these 3-I’s we, and the people around us, can do great things.Impact - I don't think this applies to only leaders...in fact it shouldn't. Everyone needs to understand and be aware of what skills and talents they posses and how by putting them to use, they can make a difference to impact an outcome. As leaders, in addition to also doing our part and putting our skills to use, we should be working with our teams to help them realize the impact they can have. I think many times, people don't recognize the skills and gifts they have, and how they can be best utilized to impact a situation. As leaders, make them aware. TALK TO THEM! Tell them that you see an opportunity for them to put that skill to work, and maybe most importantly, you want them to do it.Influence - When I think of influence, and influential leadership, I think of people that have walked the walk and talked the talk. They have been in the trenches, and in doing so can relate! My most influential leaders and peers have been the people that have actually been on the front lines. They have done more then develop strategies, they implemented the tactics, and lived it. There is a lot of talk right now in the Social Media space about the Fast Company Influencer project. Trying to find and rank the “most influential” people. I think the challenge here is that this is more of a popularity contest, which unfortunately, is one part of influence..mainly from a marketing perspective. From the leadership side, influence is getting people to rally with you (not behind you) to achieve great things. You can be influential by being there in the moment, being empathatic to the situation and the challenges trying to be tackled, and by lending a hand to help.Inspire - To inspire means that you have helped others see a new way, a new perspective and have shown through actions, what success looks like. This might be in the way you work, the attitude you bring, how you treat others, or something else. Inspiration can also come from being able to make tough decisions, or taking responsibility for how things have transpired. For many leaders today, I dont believe we think about inspiration enough in how we lead...that we have the opportunity (on a daily basis) to really make those around us better by being real, being transparent, being open, and being honest. That experience with Daptiv last week was a great reminder for me that I have to focus now on what is in front of me...what I can have an impact on...what I can influence...and what I can inspire. Daptiv gave me the opportunity to become a leader and I have always been driven to be better at what I do, and more importantly, help those around me be better at what they do. It is very easy to become distracted and think about things that you can’t actully impact, influence, or inspire. Human nature seems to attracted to those kinds of things, but if we can re-focus on those opportunities in front of us that we can impact, influence, and inspire - great things can happen.I have only scratched the surface on these 3-I’s, and as I wrote this, I realized that each can (and should) be worthy of their own post. There are many different facets to each, and examples/stories that can be told. Keep an eye out for some follow up posts. Until then, let me know what you think. I would love to hear your comments.
