What Will You Change for Increased Impact?

The following is the beginning of the initial draft for this article:

“Identification and analysis of your most effective programs, engaged donors, most impactful online engagement and events with the highest ROI are necessary to survive. Becoming lean and allocating time, energy and dollars into improving core services is essential.”

Wow. That reeks of something special! A bunch of extra something. Not only is it unbelievably boring, but it is stating the obvious for the bigillionth time.

Why did I write that? My mind was unclear.

I burnt it.

This week, I have been reading more from author Mark Manson. You might hear his tone in my words. If you haven’t already read him, check him out.

I’ve also been checking out creative and productivity coach, author and graphic novelist, Jessica Abel.

Last but not least, I’ve been following the teachings of Jujitsu guru and maverick Jim Roy of Chevy Chase Jujitsu.

The teachings all gel together.

Enough said.

It is early in the calendar year and late in most of our fiscal years.

There is increasing pressure to meet deliverables and prove you’ve been making an impact.

Time now to focus on efficiency and impact.

How?

Regarding organizational change, I do stand by my position that it’s all about automated and objective analytics.

However, this is written for you as an individual human being with a life and a desire to pursue some happiness and satisfaction.

How can you be more useful while feeling better about what you do, and also seeing indicators of increased impact?

Let’s alter one thing. Just pick one.

Within your organization, and more specifically your mind and intentions, what is one change in action or focus requiring an infinitesimal amount of energy expenditure that might potentially increase the impact of your work or job satisfaction within the next six months?

Identify and pick one change in your actions that will be imperceptible to the majority within your organization.

Aim for imperceptibly, not recognition.

Got one?

• Forget about the board.
• Forget about titles. This applies whether you are the CEO or a volunteer.
• Forget about the box.
• Throw away the crappy box. This was advice I received myself from an applied mathematician and software architect at AARP.

Two suggestions for ways you can slightly improve your work:

1. Consider a Change in Intensity

Increase or decrease it slightly in one area. Is there an area where you feel too focused? Too tense?

Backing off, keeping balance and easing off control often let’s things flow better for everyone, including you.

If you think easing up on control is not possible, you are right. This isn’t for you. Not yet anyway. Stop reading immediately.

Control as a whole does not work well in any scenario in life. It involves a great deal of expenditure of energy meeting an equivalent or greater force of resistance.

Physics is real, folks.

Although there might be some minimally satisfactory ego boost, control is exhausting. Loosening up will give you more clarity, energy and efficiency.

It applies in relationships.

It applies in combat.

It applies in martial arts.

It applies in writing.

It applies in the arts.

It applies to mechanical and electrical engineering.

It applies to leadership.

It applies in life.

Do you remember that person you worked with who completely sucked the life out of you and your department?

Yes, that one.

That one had a bit of a control problem and wasn’t too willing to see things from others’ viewpoints. Right?

2. Consider a Slight Shift in Focus

Shifting focus might mean shifting 10 minutes of your attention from one staff member or volunteer to another.

I’m talking about a virtually imperceptible, yet consistent expenditure of energy done willingly of your own accord to improve how you perform one of your job roles, how you interact with a donor or how you prioritize  one task over another.

It might be the elimination of one thing you consistently do that is unnecessary and does not yield anything useful to you or others.

It’s easy to become stuck in our viewpoints.

Sometimes we buy the whole cardboard box of viewpoints and opinions we’ve been taught and ones we’ve made, and we sit in the box believing that we are powerless — stuck in a fixed perception of how things really work — plugged like copper tops into the matrix without choice or an ability to change.

It ties into the “Not my monkeys, not my circus mentality.” I feel you about the monkeys and the circus. This is not about someone else’s circus or the monkeys in the circus. Let them have the circus.

Confused? Good. Confusion is a good point to reset your system.

This is only about your clarity of mind and focus.

I’ll throw out a challenge to you. Do you believe you cannot effect any change for the better? You are right.

However, it’s that belief that is your cardboard box.

Crush it.

Recycle  it.

Be a rebel, and burn it.

It’s only in your mind. No carbon footprint will be left behind.

Right now, if you have already identified a change, don’t fight it. Whatever is flashing in your brain is the one to do.

Hit me up if this makes sense to you. If it doesn’t make sense, feel free to reach out with questions on the NPP platform, Twitter or whatever you use, or just forget everything you just heard. It never even happened.

Good luck, and have an amazing month!