A tool for optimizing impact and energy
- The art of taking on the right role to feel energized, increase your impact, and engage your network.
Combining impact and well-being by simply and fully being yourself. A challenge that our society has completely undermined. Who hasn’t heard the refrain “no pain, no gain” (basically, you have to suffer to succeed)? It’s an insidious refrain that still haunts me sometimes.
What if we could do things differently? What if we could have a positive impact on our ecosystems while having fun? What if taking care of our energy multiplied our impact? It’s possible.
Imagine Lola. Lola is in charge of overseeing her company’s “zero-carbon” plan. She’s well-regarded within her organization. She’s even on the fast track to promotion. Yet she’s on the verge of burnout. Why? Because 70% of her time is devoted to tasks that, while impactful, are draining for her. She does them well. Her expertise is valued. But after each day spent poring over her Excel spreadsheet, she’s exhausted and discouraged. The remaining 30% of her time is split between low-impact distractions and tasks that are neither urgent nor important. Only two innovative operational projects are truly close to her heart. Not very fun. That said, it was thanks to this realization that, within a year, she managed to completely turn the tables.
How? By following three steps:
She is simply asking herself what role she truly wants to play in supporting her company’s ecological transformation. The issue is not so much about what recognition will come with it, but rather what sense of fulfillment, well-being, and alignment would result from it.
Once she has a clear understanding of what truly brings her joy, she assigns the right task to the right person. In doing so, she empowers and motivates the people in her ecosystem while reducing the things that drain her energy. It’s a win-win situation.
Ultimately, she restores a balance among her various activities to align them with her ambition to be an agent of change, her day-to-day actions, and her energy level.
The result?
Greater impact because of more energy,
He no longer has influence over his colleagues because he no longer has the same reach.
Taking Action for Change
1 - Assess the distribution of your activities based on the framework below:
Inspired by a Positive Intelligence module by Shirzad Chamine
2 - Ask yourself: What role and actions energize me and have a significant impact on my ecosystem? What can I do to fully embrace this role every day?
3 - Look around you: Who might be in their zone of genius when doing the activities you want to delegate and/or avoid? How can you surround yourself with these people? If you can’t delegate, how can you reduce the drain on your energy by doing it yourself?
“‘There’s never enough time to do everything, but there’s always enough time to do the most important thing .’ ”
The most important thing should be what you feel aligned with. How can you tell? Assess what that action entails in terms of its impact, how it draws on your talents, and your energy level…
Keep an eye out for the next article on leadership styles that will motivate people to follow you!
Do you want to become the leader you envision for the world you hope to see? Is it time to discover and assert your leadership? Do you want to embed the concepts of positive impact and purpose at the heart of your organization? Is the challenge to accelerate engagement within your ecosystem to drive systemic change?
If your answer is yes and you’d like some guidance along the way, please contact me! Here’s a link to schedule a exploratory session and the form to further explore your goals and challenges.
