Transparency & Trust Create Moments of IMPACT

At the last LeadersLead session, we focused on the power of an IMPACT Legacy. Participants openly shared experiences where an event or person from their past made an IMPACT on their life. After breaking down that experience, they reflected on how that IMPACT helped shape them as a person. Finally, we talked about the IMPACT they are now having on others because of those experiences of growth. 
 
What I quickly found was that during these moments of courage and vulnerability, it was easy to connect with the individual in a way that you could feel changing you and your perspective.  Those moments where attendees are nodding their heads in not only recognition, but appreciation for those experiences.  You quickly realized that these are People of IMPACT.
 
Using the IMPACT Legacy Tool, we heard from a wrestling coach, who helped train 33 different Olympians, about how a collegiate athlete shaped him as a leader. As he was working out with this All-American wrestler and future MMA Champion, the wrestler asked the coach, “why are you trying to beat me? You are here to coach me.” It was a punch to the gut as the coach realized his focus was too much on competing and not enough on teaching and growing. 

That led to a transformation on how he leads and trains his team as well as athletes across the globe. Fully aware that the impact is in their growth, which in turn results in his own growth as well.
 
We heard from a young father who shared that his 7 year-old son was shaping him every day, as his son’s love for learning and his growth made him reconsider his priorities and how he relates to his team at work. The power of patience.
 
As leaders, we can all relate to the complexities of delegation. The importance of effectively delegating, but the nuances of it positively impacting the person you are delegating to while also achieving overall success. A leader shared the importance of delegating RESPONSIBILITIES and not just TASKS. It resonated with those as you could see them jotting down notes for their own growth paths. 
 
Sharing the appreciation of a manager who took a chance on a young, inexperienced, small-town kid who wanted more than what was typical from those in her community. “I found myself by not allowing fear to overtake my life.“ She talked about the IMPACT of a “manager who believed in who I was and what I could become.” She went on to share that now, she is in a position where she can focus on mentoring others and have a positive IMPACT on their lives.
 
I was able to share my story of IMPACT and how an athletic trainer, Liz Sizemore, was at the right spot at the right time to get my heart beating again, combined with all of the other “coincidences” associated with that event, that made me realize the importance of making an IMPACT in the lives of others and how that ripples though the greater connection of life.
 
When you are in control of your organization, your team or your life, you can choose to NOT do uncomfortable things… but when you are a person of IMPACT, you realize that it has to be done. That you can’t delegate it to someone else. There is a time to face your fears because you know you are able to overcome them.
 
The session was a moment of IMPACT for me as I was able to grow and learn by listening to the stories of others and then reflecting on how those stories impact me. As I review my notes from that session, I am already considering how I will use their IMPACT on me, to start Impacting others Beyond Today.

You can find out more about #LeadersLead by clicking HERE and watch past sessions.

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