Delivering Impact beyond the numbers

More often than not, impact at work is only ever measured in numbers. The obvious example is in Sales, where impact is typically acknowledged to be the over achievement of one's target. But impact is so much more. In a healthy corporate environment, impact should go beyond a list of hard KPIs and this is what I want to explore here…going beyond the numbers. I want to discover the different shapes and forms of impact.

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Let's assume we are managers expecting impact from our people:

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Let's start by agreeing that impact should not only be translated in terms of numbers and KPIs. Yes? OK then. Now we also need to agree that other forms of impact are not easily measurable. There is no soft skill KPI dashboard. This means that we need to be fully alert, our antennae full on to know what we are looking and to know how to look for it and where to find it.

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Impact is a plethora of things. As a manager expecting impact from your people, take a good hard look for the following:

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Supporting others

How impactful has the person of interest been in supporting the people they work with and bringing out the best in them? Are they more than just another good team player? Are they a captain, a coach, a leader?

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Closely observe their interactions with other team members, colleagues but also key stakeholders. Have they inspired, have they motivated, have they allured others to their cause/project/plan? Look out for that positive can-do attitude, the safe environment that they create which embraces feedback, the invitation welcoming colleagues to build on their own ideas to create something greater and better. Listen closely to see whether they constructively contribute to discussions, asking questions in such a way that help conversations progress.

 

Find out whether the person of interest has gone out of their way to make things happen (and been humble and low profile about it). Discover whether they have gone the extra mile to ensure a delayed project is delivered on time, to 'unstick' a stuck process, to support someone with whom they do not have a direct interest to assist or to benefit from, to volunteer to take on a task that perhaps should have been picked up by someone else, to take the lead and make that difficult/risky decision etc etc.

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Communication

How impactful has the person you're exploring been in their communication?

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Reflect on the times when they have presented to you or the wider team, have they been concise and clear? Did they get their message across in the most efficient and effective manner? Did you leave the meeting feeling that progress has been made and that the next steps are clearly outlined, understood and assigned? Has their communication and/or presentation left the audience with a positive vibe and a go-do attitude? Did they get everyone's buy in?

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Efficiency in communication is also important for impact and usually comes hand-in-hand with the above traits. How efficient are they in their interactions? From keeping the volume of meetings to a minimum while ensuring that the job/project is accelerating, to effectively managing the time spent in meetings, to the volume and conciseness of emails exchanges, to getting things done quickly and timely, to asking the right questions to get things moving.

 

Validated Ideas

Have they come with ideas/plans but not just any random plans, researched & validated ideas? Many people can be good at executing plans but bringing a well-researched and validated plan to the table shows drive, leadership and a can-do attitude. It demonstrates a commitment to continuous excellence, someone who does not settle for the status quo just because 'it works' but strives for something bigger and better. This quality along with the abovementioned traits of great communication, supporting others and going the extra mile, demonstrates initiative, a strong drive and active desire to take the work, the team and the organization forward.

 

This is impact in its most dynamic form.

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Reliability

All of the above needs traits to be packaged with reliability. I would assume that someone delivering on all the above qualities is by design reliable. Reliability also comes in different shapes and forms. Delivering on time, delivering on actions assigned, coming back with solid business insights/feedback when asked, being there to support colleagues when the shit hits the fan, providing feedback with good intentions when needed.

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If your impact candidate ticks all of the above, you've struck gold.

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The list could go on, to include more traits of impact, more details of what to look out for. But I think you get the gist. Impact goes beyond numbers and as a manager, one needs to actively and knowingly seek to find these non-measurable impact KPIs.

What is definitely not measurable but indisputable is the 'feeling' of impact? As a manager ask yourself…Has he/she brought an air of change? Can you feel their drive, can you feel their positive energy? Can you feel their enthusiasm? It might not be measured on a KPI dashboard, but if you can feel the impact, it is indisputably there.