How to increase your impact – part 1

Have you ever wondered how you can increase your impact at work, at home or with one of your hobbies / passions. As simple as it sounds, increasing your impact is quite a challenge. You might wonder where to start, what to do or maybe how to make it last on the long term. Therefore we have done some research to help you find your own way and approach to increase your impact and later on optimize it, whether it is for private or professional purposes.

Introduction

We have broken our research on increasing impact down into small steps to make your development-journey as easy and fun as possible. So let’s get started!

In this article we introduce the topic of “Impact” and we will propose an approach that you can follow / try and apply to everyday situations. If you are already familiar with the topic, you might want to skip to our next article (part 2) where we will discuss “making an impact” more in depth and provide real-life examples that can help you understand how you can work on increasing your impact using a standardized method.

Impact, what is it?

First let’s start with some background information. According to Wikipedia, the word impact describes an important scientific (mechanics) concept:

An impact is when two bodies collide. During this collision, both bodies decelerate. The deceleration causes a high force or shock, applied over a short time period. A high force, over a short duration, usually causes more damage to both bodies than a lower force applied over a proportionally longer duration. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_(mechanics) )

 This is of course not the kind of impact that we are talking about, but what stands out from this concept is that:

1. making an impact has a lasting effect / result / influence on everyone or everything involved.

2. the influence of our impact can be increased by what and how much we put in: our effort, energy, passion, experience, knowledge

Making an impact is achieving a lasting desired effect or result by undertaking a certain action or activity. In other words: taking an action with a certain amount of effort will result in a certain impact / effect / result. Much like the inescapable link between action = reaction.

If we now break-down “impact” it is clear that:

1. we need to take an action

2. this action will need to create / achieve an effect on something or someone

3. then impact is whether the result lasts

Increasing your impact: the Impact-Growth loop

Since it is now clear our impact depends on both which action we take and how we do it, we can start thinking of an approach to increase our impact. Enter the Impact-Growth-Loop

 The Impact-Growth-Loop is a concept that helps us to increase / optimize our impact by combining experimentation, continuous improvement and learning into an iterative process.

 The Impact-Growth loop follows a similar strategy as other continuous improvement-programs as  commonly applied in business strategy, personal development, leadership, and performance optimization.

 The loop consists of four interlinked stages:

1. Action – This is the initiation phase, where we make a decision to slightly change our normal approach based on our current knowledge, strategy, or insight. This could be a small change in the way how we say, do, present or decide something. Think about when you are having a private or business conversation. Or when you are making a presentation or report. Or when you are having a group discussion on making a business decision (e.g. implementing a new marketing campaign, testing a product feature).

2. Result – Every action produces a result, which could be measurable (e.g., an increase in sales, engagement, or efficiency) or qualitative (e.g., improved team morale or better alignment).

3. Impact – The result of our slightly altered approach then leads to a certain effect / impact on the system or environment. This could be at an organizational level (e.g., increased revenue, better customer satisfaction) or personal level (e.g., improved skills, enhanced leadership, better relationships, clearer communication).

   In this step it is key: to capture, observe and analyze, our impact objectively.

   Please note that the impact can be either similar or different than usual. It can also have big or small effect. This depends on both what we have changed, how it aligns with others and the circumstances. And remember: Taking small steps is critical to keeping our impact-growth journey safe, easy and fun.

4. Growth – Based the findings in the impact step, learnings are extracted to refine strategies, improve decision-making, and optimize future actions. This leads to iterative growth, either in performance, efficiency, or effectiveness.

   There is no right or wrong, just the observations that we do and what we can learn from them.

 The cycle then repeats, using insights from the previous loop to help us take better, more informed actions. All the while helping us see and feel what does and does not work.

Why is the Impact-Growth loop important?

As making an impact and trying to improve it is quite a challenge, no matter however we slice it, having a clear and reliable approach is essential to help us keep going and see results in a safe, small, incremental way. Having the Impact-Growth loop on our side:

• Encourages Iteration – By continuously learning from actions, it fosters a culture of experimentation and adaptability.

• Data-Driven Optimization – It ensures decisions are based on tangible results and real impact rather than assumptions.

• Scalability – Whether applied in business or personal growth, the loop helps in scaling success through incremental improvements.

• Accountability – Encourages individuals or teams to measure the real impact of their decisions and adjust accordingly.

Conclusion

We often wonder how to increase impact at work, at home or with our hobbies / passions. As simple as it sounds, increasing impact is quite a challenge. No matter however you slice it….

Therefore, having a reliable tool / approach is essential to gain the confidence, energy and will to embark on the journey to improve your impact.  Having the Impact-Growth loop at your side, will help you find your own way and approach to increase your impact and later on optimize it, whether it is for private or professional purposes.

Next up!

Next up is our blog post "How to Increase your Impact - part 2" where we will discuss “making an impact” more in depth and provide real-life examples that can help you understand how you can work on increasing your impact using a standardized method.

Be sure to check out our other blog posts for Effectiveness-hacks, tips and tricks, and more...