IT STARTS WITH A JOLT
Beneficial impact is the type of impact that creates positive and substantial change. It starts with a jolt that makes you come alive to put things into motion. Beneficial impact will improve the lives of others, while also improving yourself as a leader. It’s a change that you as a senior executive leader initiate to benefit a broad audience: the people you lead, your colleagues, your company, your industry, corporate America, and hopefully, even the world.
A commonly held myth is that corporations are solid, set in stone. We say, “Well that’s how the corporation is…” You notice how much resistance can arise to a new idea.
However, what we sometimes forget is that while the corporation (like the world) is already formed, it is still malleable. We can shape it. Powerful leaders shape the organization with their very presence. We can mold and sculpt the culture around us like great sculptors create masterpieces out of cold hard marble. Notably, you can only do this if your presence is big enough and powerful enough to cut through the toughness of the corporation. Beneficial impact is about the art and mastery it takes to reshape ourselves, the organization, and the world.
WHY BENEFICIAL IMPACT?
As a high performing senior executive, you’re smart and fast-paced. You earned the big job on the leadership team, with its title and scope. And while you might work too hard, at least you have some autonomy.
But even if you like what you do, sometimes you can feel frustrated with the challenges of leading at this level. You see too much firefighting, too many wasted meetings, a need for more strategic thinking, and the challenge of matrixed, cross-functional teams.
And at the deeper level, sometimes you feel that there is something else missing. Sure, you’ve achieved a lot. But there is that nagging feeling: “Is that all there is?” You are certainly busy, but may not feel as alive and excited about work as you’d like. And you believe that you could have greater impact.
WHY MAKE A BENEFICIAL IMPACT NOW?
You see what needs to be done to make your company great. And you know you have the capability to be a catalyst for making that happen. You have worked hard to develop the wisdom, the power, and the skills to give the corporation your very best. But even when we are confident in our own ability, we can wonder how much impact is actually possible, especially in a large organization.
When leaders decide to focus on and deliberately create their most beneficial impact in every situation, they experience that they can have a much bigger impact than they think. Even the huge challenges are not necessarily unmovable or fixed.
When we start designing our impact based on our vision—not based on visible opportunity—the game opens up. When we let the beneficial impact we want to have guide our decisions and actions, then we are heard more effectively. It becomes easier to get people to buy into our vision. We can influence the resistance we face without over reacting to it. And most of all, when we deliberately design this bigger, more beneficial impact, we come alive. Work and life have more meaning.
That is why the time is now. Beneficial impact is about improving our own lives, as well as the lives of others. It’s about feeling connected, engaged, and proud of achieving what really matters to you.
WHAT CREATES BENEFICIAL IMPACT?
The value of your leadership is the combination of your skills and your presence. Beneficial impact is how you leverage that value in any situation.
The essence of my work is partnering with senior executive leaders to show up fully and with maximum power, so that they can produce their most beneficial impact on the world.
