What's Your Preferred Flavor of Impact?
A guide to using your career to make a difference in a way that you truly love.
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Do you ever wonder if your work really has a positive impact on the world?
I know the feeling. In fact, in a past job, I told my friend that while I was having an impact, I felt so removed from the result that it was a bit like trying to herd sheep with a sheepdog, except that you're trying to relay the commands to the dog via telling them to someone else via a long-distance phone call.
We all crave that satisfying feeling of making a meaningful impact. And since we spend more time at work than we'd like to admit, it's only natural to want our efforts to count for something.
(BTW, This article continues my series on creating your ideal Maker Mix at work. You can catch up on the other editions here and here.)
Subjective Vs. Objective Impact
Your impact can be measured subjectively and objectively, much like many other aspects of life. The ideal situation involves a balance of felt impact ("Do I personally feel like I'm making a positive impact?") and tangible impact ("Can my impact be measured, seen, or felt by others?"). Why both?
Well, even if you have a massive objective impact but don't derive any personal satisfaction from it, you'll likely become demotivated, unfulfilled, and have less impact or quit altogether. In contrast, if you feel like you're making an impact, but you're not making much difference in the real world, it's akin to a "helpful" toddler insisting on assisting you in the kitchen… could you just not please?
This week, we'll delve into subjective impact—specifically, what flavor of impact you prefer. Let me tell you, my friend, you've got a one-of-a-kind palate regarding impact. It's like your favorite family recipe, unique and utterly fascinating.
(Tune in next week for tips on how to build your objective impact, when I'll tell you how you can literally save lives for less than the cost of your lunch.)
The Impact Map: Your Unique Impact Preference
Let me start with a story: In one of my past jobs, I got to work with dozens of companies, both tiny and giant (75,000+ giant). Objectively, my impact was off the charts. I influenced hundreds of thousands of people with my work. But subjectively? I felt like I was barking commands to that dog while racking up international calling fees. Despite that job being many people's dream job, I preferred something else.
My light bulb moment happened during my Designing Your Life coach certification training, while Bill Burnett & Dave Evans regularly blew my mind. They introduced me to a tool called the Impact Map, pictured below.
This image comes from Bill & Dave’s book Designing Your New Work Life.
Let's break it down.
From left to right, you've got the type of impact, ranging from renewing/repairing stuff to creating something new. Are you into fixing what's broken or bringing shiny new things into the world? Or maybe you're somewhere in between, supporting and improving existing systems?
From top to bottom, you've got the point of impact. Is it far and global, like saving the world from an impending zombie apocalypse? Or is it near and personal, like making a difference in the lives of a handful of people via conducting life-saving brain surgeries?
Embracing Individual Differences: There's No Right Answer
Here's the kicker: Every single spot on this map is equally valid. There's no right or wrong. It's all about embracing your unique flavor of impact and ditching those gremlins that tell you what you "should" be doing. As Bill and Dave say in their book, "Designing Your New Work Life":
"The tendency is to think that making a big impact and creating something new is better. It's not. Ridding the world of malaria is no 'bigger' in impact than being a brain surgeon, particularly if you are the person whose brain gets fixed."
The world needs individuals in every quadrant of this map. We need brain surgeons AND zombie-apocalypse preventers, okay?
My second ah-ha moment came with this nugget: You don't have to stay in a single spot on the map. Most of us are happiest if we're multi-dimensional impact ninjas and get to explore many different types of roles, skills, and impact types. For example, imagine you're my rockstar friend. She's a high school math teacher who also tutors, coaches the department, and works on the county curriculum committee. Each of her roles lands on a different spot within the impact map, allowing her to enjoy a combination of personal & community impact and everything from repairing to implementing brand-new ideas. Check out this map as an example:
Beyond Your Job: Making an Impact in Various Areas of Life
Here's the last secret: Your job is just one of many ways to make an impact. Your life is one giant all-you-can-eat buffet, providing many non-work roles and opportunities where you can satisfy your cravings for other impact flavors.
Let's take me as an example. I'm all about supporting and creating with a mix of personal and large-scale impact. That's why coaching lights me up so much. It lets me make a personal, life-changing difference (1:1 coaching) while also reaching a wider audience (via things like this article!). But I also get to explore other impact flavors throughout my life. As a mom, I have a colossal person-level (one person, to be exact) impact. But when I donate to charities like GiveWell, my influence grows globally.
Enough talk; it's time for you to take some action.
(Hey, if you like what you’ve read so far, why not share it with a friend? You help them, and you support my ability to keep this work up!)
Try Stuff: Identify Your Impact Sweet Spot
This exercise is inspired by "Designing Your New Work Life" by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.
1. List 4-6 roles, including a mix of your current job/roles, past jobs (both ones you loved and didn't love), and potential future jobs. Then, place each of these roles on the map.
2. Step back and ask yourself a few questions:
What do I notice? Are there any themes or patterns emerging?
What am I learning or realizing about myself and my preferences?
Is there a spot (or a few spots) where I prefer to function?
If I could design my dream job, what spot(s) would I occupy? If there are multiple ideal spots, is there an ideal ratio of time and effort I would spend on each function?
Tips for Leaders: Help Your Team Find Fulfillment Through Impact
This impact map is a goldmine for understanding your team's preferences. Bring it to the table and use it to understand your team members' unique needs.
Then, work together to see if you can help tweak their job (or even their non-work life) to fit their ideal Impact flavor profile better.
Happiness Hack for Everyone: Measure & Celebrate Your Positive Impact
Regardless of where you crave to be on this map, I'd like to offer you a "hack" from the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology: We all feel happier when we can see the positive benefits of our labor. So, no matter where you live on this map, it's essential to have a way to measure your positive impact and regularly remind yourself of the greater "why" and purpose behind your work. Here are a few ways you can do this:
Keep a "wins" record: Did you receive fantastic feedback from a client about how impactful your work was? Awesome! Store that away so that next time you feel stuck or ineffective, you can go back and read that quote.
Occasionally visit the flip side of your impact:
If you primarily operate on a big-group/global scale (high vertical impact on our map), periodically immerse yourself in your work's more personal and specific implications. It's like going on a culinary adventure but for your soul.
For instance, if you're involved in changing national policies regarding factory farm animal welfare, visit a farm where the animals are treated well (your ultimate goal) and a farm where they are treated poorly (the situation you're striving to change). Connecting with specific, personal cases will help you remember the individuals behind those big-scale numbers on paper.
Conversely, if you mainly function on a personal/near level, consider the bigger-picture impact of your work.
For example, if you're my math teacher friend, reflect on the number of students you've served throughout your career. Appreciate that you may have helped all of them in some way and had a lasting impact on some, creating a significant sum of positive influence.
As a personal example, in the past, I could've sought out success stories from the clients I worked with, showcasing how our efforts improved the lives of specific people or teams. This would have allowed me to "go visit the sheep" I was trying to help herd!
Discovering Your Prefered Type of Impact
Whether you're about fixing what's broken, creating something new, supporting others, or making a personal impact, embrace your unique Impact flavor preference and see if you can redesign your job and life to enjoy it more often.
If you're itching to revamp your job and infuse it with your preferred flavor of impact, I've got your back. Grab a free consult call with me to get some ideas about how coaching can help you transform your current gig or find a new path that hits your sweet spot on the map. You deserve a career that not only lights you up but also lets you leave a positive mark on the world.
Book your free consult call today, and let's embark on this journey together. It's time to make your work matter in a way that feels totally you!
⚠ I am running a 25% off special through the month of June for ALL of my coaching services. That adds up to HUGE savings on those 1:1 coaching packets, but you’re running out of time. Grab your consultation call today to get started!
Nice to meet you! I’m Lydia Johnson, MS
I’m a dual-certified coach with a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational psychology. I specialize in using creative, psychology-based approaches to help you design a fulfilling, burnout-free career. My ultimate goal is to help you enjoy stress-free, happy work days so that you can really enjoy the time you spend outside of work with your friends, family, and passions— because that’s what really matters.