CHAPTER 8

Assessments and Your Impact Score

How to Determine Your Impact Score, for Yourself and Your Organization

On the next few pages you will find two assessments (Self and Organizational) to gain more insight into your perceived strengths and areas for improvement, in order to make a real difference and make your work truly count. You will find each assessment has essentially the same questions, but one’s focused on you, and the other on your organization.

These two assessments will each produce a confidential Impact Score. This score is meant to capture in a number the impact you perceive you are making in your role at this point in time. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 low and 5 high, you’ll be asked to rate yourself for each mindset. After filling in the survey, you will then multiply the three mindset averages to produce your Impact Score. If you averaged 3 on each mindset, you’d get 3 x 3 x 3, or 27. If you averaged 4 on each mindset, you’d have 4 x 4 x 4, or 64. It’s a simple yet powerful way to emphasize the point that if any one of the three mindsets is weak, it will disproportionately diminish impact, and if all are strong, they will inordinately leverage your impact.

DERIVING YOUR IMPACT SCORE THROUGH MULTIPLICATION

You may be wondering why we chose to multiply the averages of the three mindsets, rather than simply averaging the three together to derive your Impact Score. If we simply averaged the three mindset averages, that would not take into account the disproportionately negative effect a weak mindset would have on your impact. The Ready and Waiting, the Alienator, and the Chaos Maker demonstrate this disproportionate effect. For example, in the case of the Ready and Waiting, if there is little to no fuel to act and drive decisions, it will reduce your impact—not by a little, but by a lot.

In systems design theory, the same idea is used to predict failure and success rates. In any mechanism requiring several components to work properly, you multiply each required component by the probability that it will work effectively to predict the probability that the overall mechanism will work. If your car’s battery doesn’t work, your car won’t start. If you lose your wi-fi connection, the app on your smartphone may not work.

In our model we emphasize that effectiveness and frequency—the likelihood that you’ll use the skills when you should—are both critical to impact. It is this combined strength, for each of the three mindsets, that drives the multiplication. Considering the probability that you’ll use the skills effectively and when you should will disproportionately drive lesser or greater impact and results.

There’s no need to remember the math. The important point is that your Impact Score reinforces the disproportionate effect a low rating can have on your impact, and highlights how incremental improvement can drive inordinately greater success.

THE IMPACT CATALYST: 5 x 5 x 5

To capture the essence and power of Work That Counts and the leverage of these three mindsets on impact, I introduce you to the Impact Catalyst. An Impact Catalyst reflects a perfect score, all 5 ratings for all three mindsets. In real life, these people are extremely rare. A person who is nearly perfect on empowered relationships, aligning to do the right thing, and collaborating in and across teams is a powerful force. As I’ve seen in working behind the scenes with thousands of managers and executives, these people stand out for their capacity to make a real difference. You can also consider a team as an Impact Catalyst 5 x 5 x 5. The Impact Catalyst is an aspiration and something we can all strive to be.

Take a moment to consider the impact you could have if you were effective in all three mindsets and used the skills whenever it was appropriate. Think about what it would look and feel like to work among a team of people with a shared understanding and capability in these three interdependent forces. However, all too often we experience the opposite, and see ourselves and those around us fall short of these aspirations. We really can do better. And surprisingly, it isn’t that difficult to make incremental improvements, which with the leverage can drive dramatically greater impact.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

But first, let’s look at where you stand. As you go through the assessment, consider both your effectiveness as well as the frequency in demonstrating the skills. Behavioral economists speak of the knowing-doing gap, the gap between what people know is the right thing to do and what they actually do. For example, most people believe that saving first is the right thing to do, yet many people actually spend first and save later—if there’s any money left!

Our scale combines both of these criteria, effectiveness and frequency. Frequency captures the degree to which you use the skill when it’s most appropriate to do so. Remember that if you are a master of a craft but you don’t use it when you should, it doesn’t count for much.

Effectiveness

Frequency (Use It When You Should)

1—Ineffective

2—Needs improvement

3—Marginally effective

4—Effective

5—Highly effective

1—Rarely (less than 20 percent of the time)

2—Periodically

3—Often (about 50 percent)

4—Usually

5—Almost always (more than 90 percent)

Because there’s a fair degree of subjectivity to your own ratings, we’ll make it simpler, by using the scale below on the two assessments you’ll find on the next few pages. This simply combines both the effectiveness and frequency scales detailed above into one rating for each skill.

Steps to complete the assessment:

Rating Example

Consider how effective you are at each skill, and how likely it is that you’ll actually use the skill when you should. Rate each item 1 to 5 under each mindset. (See example at right.)

After completing the rating for each skill in the three mindsets, average the five ratings for each section and place the rating in the small box labeled Average.

Finally, multiply the three averages to calculate your Impact Score at the bottom.

I’m a good listener! I seek out other opinions. I know how to listen and would rate a 4 on effectiveness.

But when I’m convinced I’m right, I do not really listen or seek input—I’m probably a 2 on frequency.

So, I’m going to give myself an overall rating of 3.

IF YOU ARE A PEOPLE MANAGER

Note that if you are a people manager, the empowered mindset section measures how empowered you are, but it doesn’t measure how empowered your team members are. After completing the assessment, consider how empowered you think your team members are on a 1 to 5 scale, then average that number into your Empowerment average on the assessment (add it in and divide by 2).

Use both the Self Assessment on the previous page and the Organizational Assessment on page 203 to better understand your opportunities to strengthen impact in and across teams—to get the right stuff done in any complex organization.

For Example, as a People Manager . . .

Early in my career I was very empowered by my team leader. We worked great together, trust was built, and I could do pretty much anything that I thought was important for the company. I would have rated my empowerment a 5!

However, as I look back, I would not say I was the most empowering of managers. I was pretty controlling and had to be involved in everything. As a team leader I was probably a 2. Therefore, in this scenario, I would average this out to about a 3. Sure, that actually averages to 3.5, but because it’s a significant problem, I gave it a bit more weight and brought it down to a 3.0.

Then multiply your averages to determine your Impact Score. More on interpreting it soon.

ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Now assess your broader organization using the Organizational Assessment. Reflect on what you observe of leaders and team members beyond your immediate team, but not so broadly that you are making assumptions about the company as a whole (unless you have insight into each function or division). Focus on the breadth of the organization that makes sense for you. Note that if you’re a people manager, there is no need to average in your team members’ empowerment as you did with the self-assessment.

The Organizational Assessment has many benefits, including:

Assessing your organization can be helpful in understanding the environment in which you are working, and how the culture might affect your scores. It can also be helpful for senior leaders leading multiple teams to assess their organization overall.

ASSESSMENT CONSIDERATIONS

Note that the validity of your ratings is limited in part by being based on your self-perception. Clearly a more objective Organizational Assessment would be to incorporate the perceptions of all employees. Or, to improve the validity and accuracy of the Self-Assessment rating, you could obtain confidential ratings from others who have worked with you over a period of time.

However, there is a lot of power in simply seeking feedback from others on an ongoing basis. It can help you get a realistic view of your performance and show others your desire to continually improve and be at the top of your game. When there is a culture of giving and receiving feedback in an organization, there is enhanced trust and candor. Seeking and giving feedback is a key skill in collaborating in and across teams as discussed in the previous chapter.

INTERPRETING YOUR IMPACT SCORE

As I’ve mentioned, achieving a 5 x 5 x 5 Impact Score, or 125, would be remarkable. You would stand out as among the very best in your organization. That is our aspiration! More will follow on the Impact Catalyst.

Think of your Impact Score more as a kind of mnemonic. It is easy to remember and can prompt you to be your best. Who wouldn’t want to be an Impact Catalyst? Remember, the higher your Impact Score, the more likely you will have a greater impact, because it’s based on both your effectiveness and the probability that you’ll use the skills when appropriate.

I’m not suggesting that there is a direct, 1:1 correlation between your Impact Score and your actual impact, but it can be a very useful gauge in making a bigger difference in complex organizations. And remember, it’s based on self-perception—some of us are harder on ourselves, whereas others have an outsize self-image.

A score of 60 or above would be considered a high-impact individual, and in this case, your opportunity is going from good to great! But keep in mind that if you scored toward the lower end of this range, by improving to the level of an Impact Catalyst, you could potentially double the probability of your success.

This range of scores is achieved through the following combinations:

5 x 5 x 4

5 x 4 x 3*

5 x 5 x 3

5 x 4 x 4

4 x 4 x 4

An Impact Score of between 25 and 60 should be carefully evaluated to identify the opportunities for greater impact. In some cases, it may be to focus on a lower-scoring 2 item, or it might be to generally increase in one or all the mindsets. Scores in this range are achieved through the following combinations in each of the mindsets:

5 x 5 x 2

5 x 3 x 3

4 x 3 x 3

5 x 4 x 2

4 x 4 x 3

3 x 3 x 3

5 x 3 x 2

4 x 4 x 2

Scoring 25 or less would be cause for concern, and requires some immediate attention to understand what is happening and to set a strategy to improve your potential impact. In the case of a low Organizational Impact Score, an examination of the culture, leadership, employee engagement, and ability to scale and sustain long-term results is warranted.

Scores in this range are mostly impacted from either a collective lower score in each lever, or from one or more very low-scoring items. Combinations include but are not limited to the following:

5 x 5 x 1*

4 x 4 x 1

3 x 2 x 2

5 x 4 x 1

4 x 4 x 2

3 x 3 x 2

5 x 3 x 1

4 x 3 x 2

2 x 2 x 2

MEET THE IMPACT CATALYST: 5 x 5 x 5

As mentioned, the highest Impact Score is 5 x 5 x 5, or 125. We refer to these standouts as Impact Catalysts. These are exemplary people indeed, capable of far outdelivering their peers not only in terms of results, but in innovation and scalable growth as well—for themselves, their teams, and their overall organizations.

Someone who scores a 5 on each of the three dimensions indicates that they use the skills almost all the time when it is appropriate, and that they use them effectively when they do. As an Impact Catalyst, they would stand out as an exemplary leader (even if an individual contributor), and their impact would drive inordinately greater innovation and results. These people are very rare even in the best of organizations, but are something that we can aspire to be as individuals, teams, and organizations.

Example of an Impact Catalyst

Impact Catalysts are at all levels in the organization. You don’t need a title or authority to elevate the performance of those around you.

A vice president at a hugely successful fast-growth Silicon Valley tech company was a remarkable leader. But I’ve seen this same level of impact with first-level managers and individual contributors as well.

I interviewed his direct reports, along with the other members of the senior leadership team; everyone had positive comments about him. Some of these people were in positions that were competing for resources and had conflicting views on strategic direction. He stood out not only among his peers, but among the hundreds of other executives with whom I worked.

Empowered relationships

He developed trust with his team leader so that he was able to contribute at his full potential. Sure, he would check in with his boss when appropriate, but he was clearly empowered to act and drive decisions. To make it even better, he would drive discussions with his boss and his direct reports to ensure that both he and they were empowered as effectively as possible. Nothing is static in fast-paced organizations; he continued to build trust along the way.

Alignment

In team meetings when inevitable conflicts arose, even though he was working with his peers, it was as though he took on the perspective of those two or three levels above him, even when it might not be to his personal advantage. People tended to trust him, because he was not promoting his self-interest, but instead was promoting the interests of the broader organization. This gave him tremendous influence.

Collaboration

Others he worked with almost unanimously mentioned that he brought out the best in their ideas and the synergy working as a team—again, not just as their team leader, but working among peers as well. Again and again, people said they wanted to work with him—even though they experienced the same levels of conflict and the stress of ambitious goals as other teams.

He continued to grow and ultimately became one of the most trusted members of the CEO’s top team. He clearly stood out to almost everyone who worked with him as an influential leader and contributor. His impact was incalculable, and everything and everyone he touched seemed to be stronger as a result. He directly or indirectly produced incredible impact. He was an amazing Impact Catalyst.

Your Opportunity

Being an Impact Catalyst is something for all of us to strive toward. Even taking small steps to increase your impact in any one of the mindsets could certainly make a difference. Consider the upside if you scored 27 via three scores of 3, as in our example. If you strengthened those scores even just a bit to 4’s, you would have an Impact Score of 64!

That kind of improvement is feasible by utilizing the tips in this book and increasing the skills outlined in the coming chapters. But keep your sights high! A score of 125 is what’s possible (5 x 5 x 5)—and that’s a lot of leverage.

As you review your results, consider where you might have the most leverage in driving impact and results. While improving in each mindset will increase the likelihood of greater impact, also consider which mindset(s) would benefit most from improving in the short term versus the long term. This brings us to our next chapter, which offers guidance on how to turn your insights into action to make it real.