DECEMBER 2023BUSINESSMANAGEMENTREVIEW.COM8IN MY OPINIONFirst there was intelligence quotient (IQ), then emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ). Now it's time to add impact awareness (IA) to the list of essential core competencies of our leaders. Collectively, the experience of the past few years is like one giant social experiment on impact awareness, a term I define as the conscious consideration of our impact on others. Regardless of your beliefs, or where you work, or where in the world you call home, the decisions made by our leaders during and after the pandemic have had some form of impact on every one of us.When I coach current and future leaders, one of the first things we talk about is impact. We start the conversation by looking at the easier By Marnice Emerson, Director, Learning and Development, Mechanics BankWHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF IMPACT AWARENESS (IA)?viewpoint. How aware are they of the impact of the actions and decisions of others? Although the saying is that we are our own harshest critic, for some reason when we are looking at behavior, it's a whole lot easier to criticize what others are doing, especially when it has a perceived negative impact. Our coaching conversations then turn to the reality that sometimes decisions need to be made for the good of the many, even if that means a negative impact on some. And this is where the awareness piece enters the picture. Remember, the definition of impact awareness is the conscious consideration of impact. The integral piece of the definition is conscious consideration. When making these decisions for the good of the many, did the leaders consciously consider what impact that decision would have on all groups of people? Consciously considering the impact does not mean a leader is paralyzed against ever taking action or making a decision if someone is going to be negatively impacted. What it does mean is a leader considers the impact, Marnice Emerson
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