Stop going through the motions and multiply your impact in 2022

Late last year I delivered an online training session for a client on Influence and Trust, to help their team connect with each other, their clients and stakeholders. Like many, this team had a need to understand what impact they were having on others and the company they work for. Busy teams can sometimes feel they are doing all the right things, and still find themselves struggling to get everything done. Not taking the time to stop and examine what's really going on around them can create a team of  "ordinary contributors" (I explain this later on!). 

This organisation could be any one of my clients I am working with at the moment. There is so much talk about people leaving their jobs and the "great resignation" but as a manager or leader, are you taking the time to talk to your people about it? are you making any impact on the decisions your people are making?. I once heard, that "people don't leave their jobs, they leave their bosses".  If you're not listening to your team, you're not making an impact,  you could be at risk of losing some great people and all because of a conversation you didn't have or an assumption you or your team are making with out knowing the full story.

Why do some people break through and make an impact while others get stuck going through the motions?

Liz Wiseman author of Multipliers has just published her new book Impact Players where she shares her insights about - how the way we think and act can make an enormous impact. She believes with a little coaching that all of us can become that indispensable colleague that everyone needs. I took a lot away from her new book that I know can help leaders and their team have a real impact and hopefully make the  "great resignation" a myth in your workplace. 

How can you multiply your impact?

A contributor or an impact player in any workplace is willing to do what the organisation needs, not just what's on their job description. They openly lighten the burden for their boss and make themselves useful. Liz Wiseman breaks this concept into three strategies:

1. Learn the game - do you have upward empathy? The ability to understand what your bosses situation feels like and what they need from you. The mindset of "what can I do to help them do their job?" When you empathise with others they empathise with you and it creates a great partnership.
2. Play where you’re needed - Don’t get stuck in your job. Do what’s needed for the organisation not just your role. If you are a leader of others, are you making sure people who make these contributions are being recognised? 
3. Play with passion - Don't be what managers call "ordinary contributors". They are people who simply do their job, they make little to no impact on others in the workplace. A good sign of someone who is playing with passion is they look for opportunities, are willing to move around a bit, do things without being asked and they play where the action is! Are you playing with passion? 

Want to learn more?

Liz discusses her new book with Dave Stachowiack in his Podcast Coaching For Leaders or you can buy her new book here.