October 8, 2015 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1MfRo1J. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Wendy Lipton-Dibner, the bestselling author who has just seen her latest book, Focus on Impact, published has focused her career on helping people put results and outcomes ahead of financial returns with the reassurance that by focusing on impact, the money will come. When Lipton-Dibner talks about “impact,” she’s using the word in a more traditional sense, meaning non-financial outcomes and results rather than its use in social enterprise circles with a focus on social good. That said, her focus on traditional impact is highly relevant for the socially conscious–and her message is good news for social entrepreneurs. As we focus on impact, she says, success will come. In preparing for this piece, I asked Lipton-Dibner for three tips to help social entrepreneurs have more impact. Here’s what she shared: Best practice isn’t always smart practice. If your business goal is to make a lasting and profitable impact, traditional business models won’t get you there. Research of over 1000 multi-national enterprises, hospitals, private practices, non-profit organizations and small businesses has shown the more people focus on increasing profitability, the more money they end up spending to make up for problems they caused by focusing on money. The answer: Focus On Impact in every area of business from visualization to execution, internally and externally. Capitalize on the social shift. Gone are the days when we trust the words of the CEO who reassures us his/her products and services are best in class. Consumers have learned the hard way that just because we say we can help them, doesn’t mean we will. They’ve learned to trust shoppers more than sellers. They’ve become cynical, skeptical and cautious. The traditional “voice of authority” has shifted from business to consumer and this social shift has created the “Era of Sampling” – a try-before-you-buy economy in which impact is the new global currency. Now is the time to take control over the shape of your impact, the size of your impact and the rewards you reap as a result of your impact. Maximize your unique impact. You’ve been impacting people since the first moment you kicked inside your mother’s womb. Every since that moment you’ve impacted hundreds – perhaps thousands of lives – simply by interacting with people and bringing your unique combination of DNA, social experiences, education, skills, perspective and personality to the world. In business, your unique impact carries an extraordinary opportunity. Every email, every post, every tweet, the simple act of answering your phone, leading a meeting or talking to a stranger – everything you do and everything you don’t do has an impact on someone else. The secret is to define your unique impact and strategically infuse it into your marketing, products and services to create the one-of-a-kind, measurable impact that will set you apart as the go-to in your industry. Please consider whether a friend or colleague might benefit from this piece and, if so, share it.
#310: Author: To Do More Good, 'Focus On Impact'