Develop these 6 skills for impactful leadership

Much has been written about leadership skills. But what does it take to lead an organization focused on impact, social and environmental change, as much as profit?

These organizations are special. They are the face of the changing business environment, as companies move away from a profit-only focus towards multi-stakeholder appreciation and social and environmental impact. Their goal is to keep both impact and profit as essential objectives, hand in hand, complementing and supporting each other.

The data supports this association of impact and profit: companies that focus on impact have between 12 and 50 times more revenue, a powerful argument in favor of impact from a financial point of view.

So what does it take to lead an organization that focuses on impact? It requires impactful leadership.

In my work with entrepreneurs and organizational leaders, and my research of high-impact companies at the forefront of using business for good, even when making big profits, I found 6 skills that show up across the board in these CEOs and leaders successful:

1. self awareness

The skill of self-awareness has two aspects: impact and behavior.

Impact: We all have an impact, whether we are aware of it or not. Knowing that we have an impact is the first step in self-awareness. Then we can start thinking about the kind of impact we’re having.

Behaviour: Impactful leaders are aware of how their role influences interactions and use that role to encourage and inspire. One example is being curious about the impact each individual in your company wants to have. That sets the stage for it to provide opportunities for that impact to happen.

2. Vision

Impactful leaders must uphold the organization’s vision, perhaps not alone, but certainly consistently. Vision answers the question of what it will be like around here when we achieve it. An organization focused on impact goes beyond that. It adds another dimension: what will it be like in our community, in the world at large, when we achieve that impact? Impactful leaders include these conversations in strategy development and implementation. As an impactful leader, you become the point of contact for others to follow and return to when clarity or resolve wavers.

3. Approach

Having an impact requires a relentless commitment to that vision of impact. It is not easy to instill impact in an organization, which leads to the actions that are required to have impact and gains. For this infusion to occur, impact must remain the focus throughout the planning processes. It’s easy to let go of that focus when short-term problems and challenges overwhelm you and your employees. Instead of seeing it as a singular blinded focus that never changes, it helps to view the focus on impact as a constant course correction process, much like one would navigate an airplane or ship.

4. loving kindness

This word from Buddhist philosophy and biblical roots does a good job of capturing the attitude of the impactful leader. These leaders consider love in their decision making. Steve Farber, a well-known leadership expert, characterizes love as “just good business” that is integral to leadership, teams, and competitive advantage. An interest in treating people with kindness is vital to engaging people in the impact purpose of the organization.

Loving-kindness also extends to yourself as a leader. Treating yourself with kindness and compassion on those unavoidable occasions when you fall short of your own high standards is crucial to your impact. None of us is infallible, even with a lofty vision that benefits the planet and people. It is important to be as kind to yourself, to be loving to yourself, as it is to extend love and kindness to others.

5. Resilience and perseverance

Beyond the resiliency and perseverance required to achieve financial goals in the face of obstacles and challenges, an impactful leader must be able to overcome setbacks to have impact focus while working to achieve revenue goals. Despite the business world’s move toward impact economics, stakeholders can still back off if financial goals are not met, pressuring organizations to abandon old-school long-term impact goals of profits only. short term.

Having an impact also implies a multidimensional approach and includes new stakeholders, such as governments, community organizations and non-profit organizations. Resilience and perseverance are required to establish these new connections and cooperative relationships. Impactful leaders model the importance of these aspects in strategy development and set goals for implementation.

6. Commitment to growth

Impactful leaders are committed to growth—their own growth and that of the people they work and collaborate with. Becoming a better, more impactful leader means leaving behind the old iteration of you and moving on to expanded ways of being that better serve you and the organization.

Supporting others in their own growth includes programs and opportunities for employees as well as vendors and joint venture partners. When everyone benefits, the impact spreads.

You may already see these skills in the way you choose to appear in your organization. If you do, you are on a beneficial path, and I hope you will develop them further. Great leaders are always learning and growing.

If you see any gaps, and most of us do, knowing these skills will lead to greater awareness as you go through the day. Your leadership is made up of all the choices you make, day to day, in how you present yourself, how you treat people, how you choose to behave. With increased awareness, you can begin to develop your leadership skills in these areas.

Leading an organization that makes an impact is a special challenge, one that will require your own skills and growth to be successful. By knowing what to develop, you are one step closer to greater impact.