What is your impact?

Your impact is way beyond what you imagine it to be. 

2013 was not a good year for me. I was in the middle of my divorce and leading a merger as HR Director at work. It took all the strength I had to keep the show on the road. 

We had a lovely sunny staff room where I worked,  where I ate lunch each day, and I'd usually be in there at the same time as two women I worked with. I didn’t know them well.  

Sometimes we would talk about what was happening in my chaotic personal life. They listened and never tried to fix. Mostly we would talk about other things. Those conversations reminded me of the life that existed outside of my little bubble of temporary hell. They represented possibility for what lay on the other side. 

They were delivering important work for the organisation and for our customers. They were having an impact through that and with all kinds of people. 

And they were having an impact on me that they likely never realised. That I didn't fully appreciate at the time. They were affecting how I was able to show up at work and for the people in my life, including my team & my children. The ripple effect of that was far-reaching. On what I delivered, how I was with people and how my life felt. 

6 years later and I have tears in my eyes as I think of them and the impact they had by just being compassionate human beings. By being themselves. 

At work, it can feel like it is all about what we deliver. 

It's about far more than that.

What qualities do you have that have an impact on the people around you?

Are you:

Warm

Caring

Funny

Witty

Quirky

Calm

Energetic

Entertaining

Discerning

Present

Grounding

Attentive

Think of a quality you have and breathe it in.

You are this, without trying. Without doing anything. 

And it matters.

Who you are matters. Always. You are having an impact in ways you’ll never know about just by being your unique, imperfect self.

What does this blog bring up for you? Email me at claire@clairemackinnon.com with your questions, comments and reflections. I reply to every email and would love to hear from you.

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