Time to Read: 3 min.

Everyone wants to contribute to whatever endeavor they are involved with. Whether it’s work, family, friends, or community, we want to do our bit to help. In an organization, we have job descriptions, mandates, and goals and objectives to guide our contribution. At the end of the year, we want that contribution to be recognized in order to get formal acknowledgement that we made a difference to our team and the business.  

Value creators think differently. They go beyond contribution and focus on the impact they can have on customers, employees, and stakeholders. They routinely ask themselves; how might we make our customer experience better? What could we do better to attract and retain new customers and top talent? How could I make someone’s job easier so that their experience is more meaningful? How might we make this a business the market will be confident investing in?

I recently stayed at the Shangrila Hotel in downtown Toronto. When I check in at 3:00pm (an hour before posted check-in time), my room wasn’t quite ready. I said, “no problem”, left my bag with them and went off to client meetings saying I would be back around 6:00 PM. When I returned, the front desk manager apologized that my room wasn’t ready when I arrived and upgraded me to a suite for the night. He then asked, “ What else can we do to make your stay with us more pleasant?.  

Steve Jobs relentlessly focused on the user experience and a design aesthetic to make great products. He believed he could build a loyal and profitable user community by making elegant products that were a delight to use. And Jobs didn’t have deep technological know-how. He just refused to let perceived constraints become a roadblock to the user experience he wanted to create.

In our hyper-paced operating environment customers and clients expect fast and reliable customer service and will change providers if questions, problems, or new needs are not met timely and effectively. Employees want to know what they can expect to receive beyond compensation and will choose employers where they believe their personal growth needs will be met. The only three guarantees in life these days are death, taxes, and increasing stakeholder expectations.

What if you focused on impact with you customers, employees, and business stakeholders? How might the value of your brand, reputation, and investor attractiveness grow? What small action could you take today to impact your customers and employees in a meaningful way?

If I asked you, who were the people – teachers, coaches, family and community members – that had the greatest positive impact on you life, I suspect a few names would readily come to mind. What if you could have a meaningful impact on those around you? How might that change your relationships? Your career? Your life?