Make an Imprint
We are often encouraged to seize and maximize the opportunity to make a first impression.
There is something pretty cool about someone describing those moments in positive esteem: “She seems nice”; “He spoke knowledgeably”; “That sales team has good energy.” And, while those temporary moments are nice, what we really desire is for those interactions with us to become memorable. In that case, we should aim for making an imprint.
When you an imprint is made, experiences with you become embroidered in our memories like stamps on a passport. When training leaders, I often ask them to describe other managers or leaders that had an imprint on their development. The responses are usually communicated positively, peppered with emotional and heartfelt language, as they recount those transformational and imprintable experiences. The language moves from the temporal: “She seems nice” to permanence: “I am a stronger and more resilient leader today because of their genuine investment in my development.”
In his book, “So Good They Can’t Ignore You”, Carl Newport encourages us to have a craftsman mindset, focusing relentlessly on what value we offer to others. In order to craft your leadership into one that leaves a lasting impression, the learning, development, and subsequent successes of those you lead must become more important than your individual contributions. You must prioritize making time to coach and show appreciation for those you lead. Your should model taking responsibility for your actions and attitude. You should speak unarguably, avoiding gossip, blame, and harmful criticism. You should seek to be responsive, dependable, fair, honest, and trustworthy.
Crafting a living and lasting legacy of leading and serving others will expand your opportunities to make imprints, not just impressions. Become the exemplar; be a leader worth replicating; be indelible!
Quote for Growth
“We have the opportunity not just to choose our job or our profession, but also to choose the sort of life we want to live and the imprint we will leave on others.” - Michael Grove