Your 5 Impact Hats - Understanding Impact Series

When you think about having an impact on a person, team or project it may feel overwhelming. Where do you start? What do you do? How do you measure it? And How much is enough?

In the Understanding Impact Series we define and describe impact by the Stages, Roles, Reach and Purpose.

This series is intended to create a framework for understanding the ‘what’ of impact, rather than the ‘how’. We cover ‘how to create impact’ in our ImpactLadder programs.

This article covers your 5 Roles (Impact Hats) in the Understanding Impact Series.

In our last article we established the 5 Stages of Impact are:

1. Understand
2. Help
3. Empower
4. Elevate
5. Transform

So corresponding to each stage, you have a role to play. At each stage you’ll be wearing the relevant ‘Impact Hat’.

The 5 Roles are:

1. Confidant
2. Consultant
3. Coach
4. Mentor
5. Influencer
   
   

1. Confidant

At the ‘Understand Stage’ your role is a ‘Confidant’.

As a ‘confidant’ you have two jobs:

• Listen and understand and
• Make them aware that they have been heard and understood.

Often this will require you to look at both ‘verbal and non-verbal’ cues as well as ‘stated and unstated’ thoughts, feelings and desires.

2. Consultant

At the ‘Help Stage’ your role is a ‘Consultant’.

As a ‘Consultant’ you have two jobs:

• Help them to better understand themselves. This often requires digging deeper to them to explain and better define their thoughts, feelings and desires;
• Meet their objectives (solve their problems, provide their wants)

3. Coach

At the ‘Empower Stage’ your role is a ‘Coach’.

As a ‘Coach’ you have three jobs:

• Challenge - in addition to just ‘listening and understanding’ or ‘helping them better understand themselves’ at this stage you challenge their thoughts, get them to question the source of their emotions and critically evaluate their desires.
• Teach - with an objective to enable them to solve their own problems, reach their own goals, address their own emotions.
• Support - give feedback, motivate and guide.
  
  

4. Mentor

At the ‘Elevate Stage’ your role is a ‘Mentor’.

As a ‘Mentor’ you have two jobs:

• Guide - helping them get to the next level.
• Evangelist - promoter and connector.

5. Influencer

At the ‘Transform Stage’ your role is an ‘Influencer’.

As an Influencer you have credibility, expertise and access to bring transformative personal and professional growth. Your interactions with people free-up their mind, fire-up their heart and your methods enable them to move to their next level of mindset, skills and habits.

If you enjoyed this article, you'll love Impact Decoded - How To Get Ahead By Enhancing Your 7 Impact Competencies