Have you ever gone through those days (or weeks or months) where you struggle to see the impacts of your efforts? There are times when it feels like you aren’t making a difference, or the change is so slight as to feel negligible. When these times hit, it can be difficult to keep yourself motivated. If you’re a people leader, or in a role with a lot of engagement with others, you may struggle to put the same amount of energy into your interactions. And if you do manage to muster your resources to stay engaged, it can feel draining. Any of this sound familiar?
Here’s a not-so-secret secret. Everybody goes through these times. More than once. But here is where a bit of perspective can help.
- First and foremost, remember to take care of yourself. Sometimes those batteries just need to recharge a bit.
- Second, recognize that not every day can be a party and you get to win the gold star. That’s ok! Remember – it’s not about aiming to be perfect.
- And then there’s the purpose of today’s post… understand that not every impact you have is immediately visible!
Think on a leader who made a difference to you. Is it a current one, or a prior leader? What did they do that left this lasting impression? Was it something they did today – or something that happened a week, a month, or even years ago? Did they (or do they) know that you feel they made a difference?
Small actions leave a mark
Even when you don’t see the difference you’re making with your actions, odds are good that you are still having an impact.
Let’s say you’re a people leader, and you hold a one-on-one with one of your team members where you talk about how they personally are coping with overall stress instead of discussing absenteeism rates (remember our article on connecting?). This discussion is going to have an impact. Your employee will likely feel more supported, and they in turn may go on to be more supportive of someone else. They may be a bit more productive in the days that follow. Or maybe they tackle that thing they had been procrastinating. Did you make a difference? Yes!! Did you see that difference? Quite possibly not, not right away.
Or you’re an individual contributor who takes a moment out of your daily tasks to show a co-worker a nifty spreadsheet trick. It was 2 minutes out of your day, and after a week it’s possible that you have forgotten you even did it. But your spreadsheet trick helped someone fill out a sheet for the IT department without having to manually update 500 cells, getting it done in 20 minutes instead of 2 hours. But you made an impact, even if you didn’t see or hear about it.
Keep Perspective. You make ripples where you go.
Then there’s the ripple effect, even if it’s a small one like a pebble dropped in water.
Your small action sets off a ripple (see, you’re making an impact). But you’re not a pebble. You don’t do just one thing and then never act again. You walk along, you move through your universe. And each of these steps can set off another ripple. Imagine yourself walking across a wide puddle. It’s no longer just making an impact; it’s making a difference.
The way you interact with your teams is one of the foundations of the culture you build. You have the ability to influence how others act. Back to the question I asked earlier about the leader who made a difference. Did they make a difference to you because of the targets achieved? Or did they make a difference because of the way they thought, the way they acted, and how they helped you succeed?
It’s easy to become hyper-focused on the issue of the moment. Sometimes certain issues become cyclic in nature. Maybe you have been trying different tactics to accomplish something and haven’t found the one that “clicked” yet. In these moments, it’s easy to feel that things aren’t changing. In an upcoming article we’ll talk about “Point in Time Reviews” as another tool to aid in reflecting on progress and our perceptions.
Meanwhile, just remember – not everything you do has an immediately visible impact. Sometimes you have to take a step back and look for the subtle changes. The next time you feel that you aren’t making a difference, think of walking across the puddle, and the ripples that continue even after you’re gone. Good leaders leave imprints long after the fact.
