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Are you building your role for strategic impact?

My EA team attended a conference last week in Boston. I found myself leaning towards a breakout session entitled: Navigating the Gray. I walked right in there determined that the speaker was going to share ground-breaking tips and tricks on being an outstanding EA in this unknown interim world of mine and therefore I was going to walk out with all my problems solved for the next 6-9 months. Ha! To my surprise the breakout was about helping others navigate the gray: helping leaders navigate the transition period, guiding staff to stay positive and champion the new idea or leader. Nothing in this breakout talked about ME navigating the gray.

This afternoon I found myself conversing with ChatGPT about my current situation (yes, you read that right)… About my effectiveness, efficiency and continued strategic impact during this season of change… After some additional questions, “we’ve” come up with a Weekly Strategic Impact Tracker. Currently, I don’t have someone to connect my influence, tasks and impact to so… how do I to navigate this? Here’s a few pointers for anyone else who is (has been, or maybe will be) in a similar season: 

Efficient –> Strategic

Am I busy? –> Am I making the organization function better?

1. Create clarity: Are things less confusing because of me?
   • % of meetings with clear notes, action steps and all sent within 24 hours
   • # of recurring confusion points you’ve eliminated
2. Leader Load Reduced: Are key leaders thinking less about logistics because of you? 
   • # of decisions handled without escalation
   • # of calendar / meeting adjustments you proactively fix
   • Are you giving clear and direct feedback? Ex: “Thanks, I didn’t have time to think about that..”
3. Projects moved forward: Are things actually progressing – not just being discussed?
   • # of projects you actively move forward each week
   • % of projects with defined next steps and owners
   • reduction in “stalled” initiatives
4. Cross team alignment: Are people more on the same page because of you? (Huge in multisite environments!)
   • # of miscommunications you prevent or solve
   • # of times you connect the right people before issues arise
   • fewer duplicate efforts / last minute surprises
5. Ownership Taken (not assigned): Are you stepping into gaps without waiting? 
   • # of areas you proactively take ownership of
   • # of improvements you initiated (not requested)
   • new systems, rhythms, or processes you’ve introduced
6. What NOT to measure right now:
   • inbox zero
   • calendar perfection
   • task completion volume
   • The above items make you efficient, but not strategic. 

Simple weekly scorecard (keep this super practical). At the end of each week, ask:

1. Did I create clarity somewhere that didn’t exist?
2. Did I reduce a leader’s mental load?
3. Did I move something forward that was stuck?
4. Did I align people who were disconnected?
5. Did I take ownership of anything new?

If none of this helps and you just need to talk it out, email me and I’ll treat you to lunch (and funny, but sarcastic conversation).