How to Maximize Your Impact in Any Business

If I look back at my career, I've had some pretty non-impactful jobs. Or at least at the time, brewing coffee, answering phone calls, or even sending a fax (yes, that is not a typo) certainly didn't feel impactful.

Despite those tasks not feeling valuable in isolation, somehow I still managed to have pretty high job satisfaction in those roles and definitely felt like I was leaving an impact on the businesses I worked for.

But how? Well, your ability to have an impact on any business has little to do with your job title or your role description. It is not about what you do, but how you do it and why.

First things first, why does it matter?

In one of my first jobs ever, I was hired as a receptionist at a small mechanic's office. My role wasn't extensive, but my tasks included answering phone calls, emails, and invoicing customers. However, the true problem I was there to solve was that their qualified mechanics were spending too much time on low-impact work and getting distracted by tasks unrelated to their expertise, such as answering phones.

What they really needed was a way to have more time for deep work and uninterrupted repairs. Understanding this came from speaking to the mechanics and hearing their pain points in the process even before I started the job. It also came from speaking to the business owner, who was also a mechanic, to understand his frustrations as the owner of a small, family-run business.

The impact I could have on that business and in my role as a receptionist was not to write the best emails or answer calls efficiently. It was to find ways to support the mechanics have more uninterrupted repair time. I soon realized that even if I completed my daily task list, the mechanics were still being interrupted by questions from customers or distracted by ringing phones. However, if we removed the second phone from inside the mechanic workshop, then all calls had to go through the office and the mechanics could continue their repairs without interruption.

This suggestion, simple as it was, wouldn't have been possible if we didn't deeply understand the problem I was there to solve. I wasn't there to answer phones (the solution), I was there to reduce distractions for the mechanics (the problem). This alternative approach had a lasting impact beyond my job role or title - and it wasn't because I was an exceptional receptionist (I was actually terrible).

Get to Know the Business, then get to know it some more.

You need to know way more about the Business you're in than you think you need to. Regardless of your role or position, you need to deeply understand why you are there. And by "why you are there," I don't mean your job description or what you are expected to do. This is not about your position description.

Why is the business investing in your role? If you've been employed as a customer success manager, why is the company investing further efforts to grow your department? Is your role a part of a greater growth strategy to increase revenue for existing customers? Is it because there is a high customer retention or churn rate? The motives for a business to create your role you can give you a huge amount of insight how they expect you to be impactful. This applies to even the most junior or senior roles.

During any hiring process, a good manager should be hiring to solve a problem within the greater business. Find out why you were really hired. I’ve always found this far easier to do organically in a smaller business but you can still achieve this at a larger company, with a slightly different approach.

It also still applies regardless of what scale your role is. Plus asking why you are being hired is also one of my favourite questions during the interview process - how they answer can tell you a lot about the leadership and company you're about to walk into.

Practice Asking the Right Questions.

Mastering this skill is probably the biggest piece of advice I would give any person, at any stage in their career. Particularly in Product, we run around asking why all the time - but sometimes we still box ourselves into only asking why when it comes to our own domain. If you are a working professional, it’s a non-negotiable that you must master the skill of breaking down problems. You need to ask why at a scale that's greater than tasks in your role.

Learn to approach a business problem of any scale, by learning to ask the right questions and you’ll find yourself with an innate ability to have an impact on any situation. You will be investing your effort in the how and why - not the what. You won't need to rely on prior experience or context to be successful, because it will matter far less. You'll have the skills to unpack a situation with minimal context, into something simplified and transferable, making it a reasonable problem for you to have an impact on.

Give more Empathy, Receive more Empathy.

Give your leaders as much empathy as you're expecting them to give you. Whether it is conscious or subconscious, the average person is more likely to reciprocate empathy than they are to initiate it. Gaining a deep sense of understanding - and true empathy - for the leaders around you will help you understand their challenges and better relate and communicate with them.

This can happen in casual or formal conversations, but the more you practice it the better you'll get. Personally, I've found this to be the most effective way to get to know people and the motivations behind the things they do. It's also probably why I naturally gravitate towards small businesses, it's where I have the opportunity for these conversations to happen organically directly with leaders. It also aligns with my super casual (but of course endearing), approach to my career. You don't have to be me though, you just need to look for opportunities to understand the perspective of your leaders when you speak with them.

Have conversations with leaders frequently.

Further to the last point, it will come more naturally from the practice of asking questions and being curious. If your team or manager tells you to focus on customer onboarding, try to understand why it is important. How will your work impact the business? Most of the time, they will be more than happy to share. In fact, they will probably love the chance to explain the reasons behind their focus. Ask them what they believe the biggest challenges are with onboarding. How did they think the company got in that situation, and what approaches have been tried in the past?

These simple conversations not only allow you to do your job well but also help you understand more deeply about the business you're working in. I can't understate how important that is.

During the process of your work, keep referencing the problem you are solving and relate it back to the business. It's one thing to get the knowledge, and another to prove you are putting it into practice by keeping it in conversation. This will reinforce your commitment to making a meaningful impact. You didn't just listen, you listened and took action. Managers and leaders in a business will remember the interest you showed in understanding the problem - not just your fixation on the solution.

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Let's Summarise it all

Ask yourself:

1. How can I break down my tasks into Problems? Develop the ability to approach any situation, from small tasks to deep business strategies, by asking the right questions. Invest your effort in understanding the why behind what you're doing.

2. Do I understand enough about the business I am in? Go beyond your job description and find out why your role exists. What problem is the company trying to solve? By knowing the true purpose behind your position, you can align your efforts to have a greater impact.

3. What challenges are my leaders facing? Have conversations with leaders and colleagues to understand their challenges and pain points. Be curious and show genuine interest in their perspective. This will help you build empathy and better communicate with those around you.

4. How can I relate my work back to a business problem? Consistently refer back to the problem you are solving and how it impacts the business. Consider how your actions can contribute to solving the problem and achieving the desired outcomes. Remember, it's not just about finding the solution, but about understanding the problem and its context.

This will set you apart in any department, business or industry, and showcase your dedication to making a real impact.