Isn’t it amazing how words change their meaning (or acceptable use) over time? Going ‘viral’ is a famous one, although the original meaning has made a comeback! Another popular one these days is ‘impact’… When I was growing up, impact conjured up more of an image of a collision as in ‘brace for impact’ or the late 90’s movie about an asteroid heading for Earth: Deep Impact.

Nowadays it also refers to the effect we have – what we might have referred to before as ‘making a difference’, ‘making a mark’ or ‘leaving a legacy’. It’s closely related to purpose & meaning and self-actualisation (in Maslow’s hierarchy). Purpose has become far more important over recent decades! 

Last month, I asked my LinkedIn connections what drives them in their careers, and the response was unusually vigorous, with some questioning why the LinkedIn poll only allowed them to choose one option?! Around 40% chose ‘having an impact’ as their top driver (more than I was expecting!), with the other options being ‘earning a living’, ‘making more money’ and ‘growing my expertise’. And, as ‘impact’ can mean very different things to each of us, I thought it would be good to explore it in more detail – hence this article. 

​Thanks to those of you who shared your perspectives with me. Without your views this article wouldn’t have been possible. Read more to see the wide-ranging reflections on impact from various professionals globally, at different career stages too. Would you add anything? 

​Perhaps you’re one of those people who loves meeting new people, sharing your own story, and hearing about what makes them tick? More likely not. Networking has a slightly grubby image, bringing to mind suave but slippery souls pretending to want to build a relationship and get to know you, all so they can sell you something… 

So, given that we’re meeting more and more in person again, including at business and professional events, this article shares some tips for those to whom networking doesn’t come naturally. Across many industries, business relationships are very important to career progression, but initiating and nurturing them can be a challenge for some of us.