Introducing the Impact Grid

It was over 25 years ago when I was starting out on my management and leadership journey, I attended a development course called Leading Edge Leadership that completely changed my life.  Jon Baker introduced me to the Welch Grid that was made famous by GE CEO Jack Welch. It has been an instrumental tool/concept for me, and I have since put my own spin on this and now call it the Impact Grid.
 
I still use Performance and Values as the axes for the grid, but now we consider the Impact that person has on those areas. Impact can also be a positive impact or a negative impact.
 
In this post, I am going to introduce you to the Impact Grid. In future posts, I will go into details on what to look for in people and how to apply the grid to help reinforce a culture of Impact.
 
THE IMPACT GRID
A person that has a high impact on the results and the values is a Person of Impact.  They are a star and a keeper.
 
The person that has a high impact on performance but not much impact on the values of the company or team, is a Goal Achiever. They can be a challenge. A hired gun.
 
The person that has a high impact on values but struggles to impact performance or get results is a Good Person but may not move the company forward.
 
The person who is struggling to make a positive impact on performance and values is part of The Lost.
 
PERSON OF IMPACT
High performers with high values. They not only get things done, they do it the right way. The Person of Impact is that person that when they are on a team, the team achieves more than what was possible as the individual collective.  You hate to use buzz words, but they represent synergy, and they make everyone around them better.
 
Your goal is to move people to this quadrant. When you can foster a culture where this is the desired state, then you have a culture where employees are leading the way and success becomes sustaining.
 
You need to keep these people at all costs and be sure to show them support. They are people that you want on the journey as they are aligned and committed to achieving the vision of the organization.
 
GOAL ACHIEVER
I flash back to the stereotype of the high achieving salesperson who would get the sale, no matter the cost. The person that management loved because they always exceeded their goal, but the coworkers in the office wanted to take a shower after spending any time with them.
 
This is an unfair description because most of the time, the person is focused on the goal at all costs and fails to recognize the importance of connecting with others and the value of working together. But that lack of alignment with the company values is very impactful… and not in a good way. 
 
Yes, they may hit the goal, but the cost could be the engagement of the other employees, decline in the culture, and eventually decline in the performance of other employees.
 
As a leader, your role is to reinforce the importance of the Values and what impact that has on their fellow employees, the company and ultimately themselves. It is a challenge to move somebody over on the Values, and the cost of taking the time necessary can negatively impact those people who are already on the Values side of the grid. Remember, your team is watching.
 
GOOD PERSON
I struggled using this as the quadrant title, because instinctively, everyone wants to be considered a good person. But we all know those people who have a heart of gold, who volunteer at all the functions, that will drop everything to help you out, but they just don’t seem to get things done.
 
They demonstrate and reinforce the values that you expect from your employees which is what makes it so difficult when they do not perform. Their Impact is on reinforcing the values in the culture. However, their lack of performance can negatively impact other employees - especially those that are Goal Achievers - when they see management not holding those Good People to performance standards.
 
You want to keep these people, but they must perform. So, to move them up on the grid, you need to focus hard on Coaching and Development to improve their skills or find them a role that may be a better fit for strengths.
 
THE LOST
I use this description because many times that is what these people are feeling. They may feel like they don’t belong, they are struggling to fit in and that may show up as a mismatch in values or as not getting things done.
 
As a leader, this is all about communicating expectations and establishing alignment. If they are Lost because they are unaware, then that is on you. If they are Lost because they don’t care, well, now you have a decision to make.
 
If you put the time into coaching and developing their skills AND if you put the time in to define, reinforce and demonstrate the values of the company and they are still Lost… well, at that point they elected to free up their own future. (Thanks for this quote, Jon!)
 
The Impact Grid is a tool that you can use to help foster an environment where people can enjoy their roles and take pride that they are positively making an Impact on others. You can’t delegate culture, and others seem to always be watching to make sure you are holding people accountable. 
 
The key is to change the focus to Ownership and reinforce that culture. That can only happen when you, as a leader, are committed to being a Person of Impact, Beyond Today.

---