Circle of Impact Guiding Principles

Simple, practical guidance for managing the crazy world of transition that we are in.

The Puddle

Have you ever prepared to cross a street, and there at the curb is a big, deep puddle? You don't want to step in it. So, you look for a way around, or you try to decide if you can jump across it. I believe this is where many of us are right now.

We are stuck trying to figure out a way around the complexity of a global coronavirus pandemic, the Russo-Ukraine war, and the growing economic meltdown. Just as important are the demands of political ideology upon our lives. Conform or get cancelled is the rule. Anxiety, paranoia, and the loss of clarity capture us in the middle of a deepening puddle of confusion. None of us really know what the future holds. We are stuck in ways that no generation in recent history has been.

Principles for Crossing the Puddle

As I was preparing to publish Circle of Impact: Taking Personal Initiative To Ignite Change, I put together a set of five guiding principles that I felt were a simple summary of the book. During my self-imposed isolation during the pandemic, I realized that the value of the book had changed. The message was the same, but how it gets applied had changed.

The time for a fresh appraisal of the guiding principles was needed. A revised Guiding Principles of the Circle of Impact is the result.

CIRCLE OF IMPACT FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1.  ALL Leadership Begins with Personal Initiative to Create Impact.

2.  We are ALL in Transition. Every one of us. ALL the time.

3.  The Greatest Change We Experience is in Our Self-Understanding.

4.  Impact Expands through Networks of Relationships.

5.  Start Small. Act Locally. Share Globally. Take the Long View.

Why Do These Principles Matter?

Many people provide us with principles. Many are good and helpful. Others are simplistic and forgettable. The purpose of these is to provide perspective about living in a time of transition. We are at the beginning of a time of change that requires us to be open to what we must do to first survive and then, thrive.

These principles are intended to affect your perception of what is happening in the world.

There is an old line that “perception is reality.” But that really isn’t true.

Reality is what you do, and the tangible impact from it.

So, here I want to affect your perception so that what you do can matter in ways that will give you a way to address the challenges that we now face.

1.  ALL Leadership Begins with Personal Initiative to Create Impact.

The Circle of Impact is a leadership model that challenges the traditional perspective that leadership is a function of the structure of an organization. Leadership is not a role. Management is. Leadership is a pattern of behavior for how we interact with the world. When we take personal initiative we are acting intentionally with purpose. Our acts of initiative bear the mark of our values. So, when we lead, we create. We start a process that produces an impact that we want to see come to pass.

There are two ways to begin to initiate.

The first is to identify changes that need to be made in your life, at work, at home, or in your community.

The second is to act to forward the importance of your values in those same venues.

Ultimately, what you want to change is a product of the things that you value. The clearer you are in knowing what you value the easier it is to know where you need to take initiative.

2.  We are ALL in Transition. Every one of us. ALL the time.

Transition is always about change. But change is not always a transition. Transition is a movement in a particular direction. What direction are you moving towards or are moving away from today? If you don’t know, how do you determine the direction you are headed?

Ask this simple question.

When did you first realize that you were in transition?

Pinpoint that moment that date. What has happened since then that reinforces the sense that you are in transition? Write down what you have experienced. If all you can say is that “I feel that I am in transition.” That is enough to begin. It means that now in your mind you are aware that you are in transition. From this point on, you will be able to see the moments of transition as they happen.

Acknowledging that you are in transition is an important step. It shows that you are in the middle of a period of transition. Your mind opens up to see new possibilities. New opportunities may be offered to you. The first step is to gain awareness that you are in a transition.

One cautionary thought

I have experienced this sense of transition causing me to want to leave a place or a job or a relationship. There is a sense of wanting to flee or escape. When we feel this, we are in transition. It is important that as quickly as you can reverse in your mind the direction of the transition from leaving someplace to going to a place of new opportunities.

3.  The Greatest Change We Experience is in Our Self-Understanding.

We all have things we must do. They are tasks that must be done. I just finished cleaning my kitchen. It is a task that must be done. However, the task is transformed when I ask “What is the impact I want to have from a clean kitchen?” It becomes a place where I can invite people to share in cooking a meal. The impact is a change that makes a difference that matters.

When we ask about our work, “What difference does it make?” we actually might realize that it doesn’t matter. It is something that must be done, like cleaning the kitchen. However, we have it within ourselves to change our perspective and seek to identify how we can turn these tasks into actions that create impact.

In a strategy session with a client, we talked about being able “to make her no a yes.” What does this mean? When confronted with a decision that had no real purpose or value to her, she could say no by affirming the values that do matter. I developed this principle in my short book “May Your No Be A Yes: A Guide To Making Better Decisions.” It becomes easier to say no to the things that we need to say no to and yes to things that we need to say yes to when we are asking the question, “What is the impact that I want?” With an impact focus, our lives become simpler. We get used to making all our No’s an affirmation of the Yes’s that matter to us. What a wonderful way to live! Yes to life in a practical and real sense.

The principle, therefore, affirms the idea that our sense of identity is not a label or a category, but rather the impact of the work we do. The more we give ourselves to making a difference, the greater our sense of who we are and what matters to us. This is what self-understanding gives to us.

4.  Impact Expands through Networks of Relationships.

There is a proverb that says,

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

This is a simple way to understand the importance of creating networks of relationships. When we do the opportunity to expand the reach of our impact expands. We need relationships of respect, trust, and mutuality. Then our shared values can create a community of impact.

I created the Global Impact Network for this reason. It is a network of networks. The purpose is to connect people together in their local communities for shared impact in areas of common concern. It is the first step in creating a culture of impact in a community.

5.  Start Small. Act Locally. Share Globally. Take the Long View.

This principle frames how we should approach our impact initiatives. When we find our lives in transition, the transition point is an opportune moment to create impact. These moments are not just meaningless minutes in our lives. They are moments where purpose can be expressed through our taking initiative.

This requires a different way of looking at how we live. Instead of living a lifetime of meaningless moments, or at best moments of diversion, we decide to create impact through those moments. When we learn to live this way, we see opportunities emerge all the time

I often find that people get excited by a big idea of their impact. This principle is about being realistic as the process unfolds. It is sort of like reading a really long novel. It takes time, patience, and consistency in being attentive to the tasks involved. For this reason, the principle follows a series of steps:

Start Small, Act Locally, Share Globally, and Take the Long View.

To start small means that you are learning what it takes to succeed. You are not getting ahead of yourself because you find as you begin that what you thought was your direction and goal may well change. Start small and growth will come when the time is right.

To act locally means that your acts of personal initiative have a direct impact on people whom you can know personally. Direct impact helps you see what works and what doesn’t. A lot of what we see today is people talking about a lot of things, but not really demonstrating that they have had any impact at all. This is why it is a good idea to focus on the needs and opportunities where you live and work.

To share globally means that your story of local impact can signal to someone elsewhere what is possible when they take personal initiative to create an impact as you have. This is another reason why I am creating The Eddy Network as a global conversation for local leadership. I learn things through the people I know around the world. I then pass their wisdom and experience along to people I know elsewhere.

To take the long view means you are not investing a lot of emotion in trying to be perfect or to excel beyond what you are capable of at this moment. Your potential for impact grows as you learn how to create impact. Over the long term, you will see things happen to you that today you would have never imagined possible.

Being Impact Focused

When the guiding principles seem to be unworkable shift your attention from the principle to the impact of the principle. What is it that should change because the principles are active in your life?

Only you can answer that question. Once you can, a life of impact will come to you. Then the puddle means nothing. You can walk around, jump over, or slog through it, and it will not matter. It is only a moment in the transition from where you are to where you will be shortly.