Power Amplifies: Are You Using It To Have Impact?

The real hidden jewel in being an entrepreneur is who we become in the process of making a business work. It is our own transformation that is so compelling. One aspect of that journey is power. When you lead a company, you have the power to make changes and decide on direction. You have the power to hire and fire. You have the power to have impact. Power amplifies. The effects of what you do resonate throughout your organization. That makes it even more important to show up as the person you want to be, to have the impact that you want to have. We see examples of this all the time in the public realm. People really show themselves when in a position of power. They make choices about how they show up, and their power increases the impact of that. As human beings, we are born to grow. When we stand still, when we consistently choose comfort over challenge, we start to decay. It’s not just our bodies. It’s our minds, our hearts, and our spirits that start to break down. Above all, as an entrepreneur, you are choosing growth, not just for your company, but for yourself as well. Who do you need to become in order to have the company you want to have? You’ll never have that business without becoming who you need to be. That starts with and is grounded in how you show up for every interaction. How are you entering into conversations? How are you choosing to use your time? How are you showing up for meetings? Those everyday choices constitute how you show up. Power can also amplify impact. When you have power, you can influence and make decisions that increase your company’s impact. Here’s an example: one of my clients, let’s call her Kate, started her business doing everything herself. She was resourceful, independent, and really hard working. As her business grew, she needed to involve more people. Kate is not a natural collaborator. She’s most comfortable working on her own. But her vision for her business included wanting to have impact on a big group of people, and she just couldn’t do it all herself. She had to collaborate. And her growing business required her to travel, and she just couldn’t oversee everything with her usual detailed eye. So Kate learned to be a collaborator. She grew into being someone who could have a motivated and effective staff. She learned to let go of control, a big deal for her, and allow others the latitude to put their own ideas into action without having to check with her first. The great thing about transforming to be the person you need to be to create your business is that it ripples into other parts of your life. Kate’s teenage kids also found her releasing control at home as she got more comfortable with that way of being, allowing them more independence. They surprised her with how much initiative they were willing to take when allowed the space to do so. This growth that you’re being called to, your own transformation, is implicitly linked to your impact. When you choose to treat your team members with respect for them and for what they themselves want to contribute, you are making a positive contribution. When you choose to treat your clients with respect for what they say and what they are trying to accomplish, you are making a positive difference. When you choose recycled toilet paper and printer paper, you are also contributing in a positive way. These thoughtful decisions based on the clarity of your own desired impact help to shape your organization. They also lead you to become the person who shows up as an impactful leader, in a way that supports the business you want to have. They lead you to your own transformation, into the person you need to be so that your vision for your business can come to life. There’s one final layer to impact, one final layer in your own transformation. Starting with the knowledge that impact is based in love, love for yourself, for others and for the world in which you live, you can have impact on every person you meet. You have impact with every person connected with your business, from your clients to your team members, and out into your physical and online communities, and from there, into the larger world. That’s how your own transformation links you to the transformation of everyone you’re connected with, and through all of us, the world. When you choose how you show up at work, and in the world, it’s bigger than just you. You have power. You can use it to have more impact.