You Must Do Good Before Doing Well
We’ve heard that you can do well by doing good.
John Sahn mentioned this on Speaking of Impact episode 8.
I agree with John and the other people that have used that phrase before. However I think we must also note that the good part has to be the focus.
We are impactmakers and this means we want to do good things in the world. Our definition of well includes doing good.
But what about people who don't consider themselves impactmakers?
I don't expect everyone in the world to be in our club of positivity, but I do think many more people could benefit from considering how they can do good for other people before how they can do well for themselves.
Youth Service Projects
When I was growing up, my youth group would volunteer at a few different places. Interestingly, we often looked forward to these events and whether we knew it or not we found joy in supporting people in need.
Some of the people that we helped were hungry, some had no home, others had no family, and perhaps worst of all, some were without hope (listen to why having no hope is so bad on Speaking of Impact episode 10 with Angel Aloma).
Service brings joy.
You might think that a group of teenagers would struggle to sacrifice their time for the benefit of other people. I would be lying if said I wasn’t feeling a bit reluctant the first couple times we set out on one of these trips. At that age, it's natural to think selfishly. Even back then as adolescents, we were just trying to keep a positive reputation.
It wasn't the most exciting thing when I got back to school on the following Monday and people asked what did you do over the weekend or what kind of parties had you been to. Sometimes I just had to say I was part of a service project.
It turns out that the best memories I have are those times of service. It tells me that humans are naturally invoiced to appreciate doing good for others.
Why Not?
Sadly, if there was a reason why I did not want to participate in these events it was because I didn't want to have to talk about it at school. I truly had no obligation to talk about these things but I never felt too comfortable about being quiet or sharing false information. In other words, I wasn't going to say nothing and I wasn't going to lie about what I did over the weekend.
I don't think a lack of desire is a good excuse to avoid being of service to others. However, it's even worse to avoid if it’s because that's not for what you'd like to be known. Honestly, that would put quite a strain on your Impactmaker Movement membership.
I think it's important though that we be honest with our human nature. There are going to be times where we don't feel like being generous and those times can have a myriad of reasons. This entry is designed to acknowledge those things and help impactmakers and non-impactmakers alike be more committed to doing good.
Doing good IS doing well.
Business as Usual
I spent 12 years working for a great organization. I did some research about how long the average person works at a company for my book “Personal Finance in a Public World”. I found that more and more people are changing careers six and seven times in their life.
Gone are the days where you get a job in your early 20s and you dedicate 40 years to a business. More people are mobile and it's easier to work remotely. You don't have to live in a specific place to do a lot of jobs. Recruitment is a huge industry.
HR Heidi Torres from Speaking of Impact episode 77 provided us with some great thoughts around networking. This used to be something to get a job and that was it. Now, networking is essential while you have a job to give you opportunity for the next one. You shouldn't assume you'll be promoted within because someone from without may get the position you desire.
Business as usual it's not as it usually was.
The more people that believe they have an opportunity to advance their career and do well the more definitions of well we will have. The definitions include that of an existing employer, that of a new employer, that of an employee, and that of an entire industry.
It’s easy to be distracted from doing good when there are multiple definitions of “well” that you were trying to satisfy.
My encouragement is for you to prioritize and normalize what is good.
What IS good?
This seems like a pretty easy question especially if you're an impactmaker. It's not that hard to recognize good.
However, I have a warning. Just like anything else in our society has been affected by digital media, so have good things.
I know that there's plenty of good to see. I said before I think humans are naturally inclined to support each other. Therefore, it's not hard to believe that there are many instances of people doing good.
There are entire businesses and social media accounts dedicated to good things. This makes me smile because I believe that good things should be celebrated. I have one concern though. Social media and technology have become so ingrained in our lives that it requires an immense amount of knowledge and skill to effectively share a message.
Only the best at using these tools are able to broadcast their message and celebrations of the good they've done to the masses. So while their huge wins are important, there are plenty of other good things going on that don't get the credit they deserve.
There are plenty doing good but few who believe they are doing well. Thus, people are distracted by what they think is good but is simply effective marketing and branding.
I recorded a podcast with Genein Letford yesterday (she was on Speaking of Impact episode 42). She asked me what is one phrase that I love. I had to share “you might not change the world, but you can change the world for one”. It applied then and it applies here.
You will do “well” by doing a little bit of good repeatedly. You don’t have to be featured on a huge social media outlet for solving world hunger to have done well.
Good is simple. “Well” is a result.
No Really Bob, What is Good?
I’m glad you asked!
Here’s some everyday good things that you can (and probably already) do:
Saying “please” and “thank you”
Opening doors for people
Providing food to a grieving family or person
Contacting a friend outside of a holiday or their birthday
Completing tasks around the home for someone who can’t
Giving someone a ride
Giving a friend a place to stay
Passing out water to the thirsty
The list could easily have 250 items. The point is that there is a seemingly endless list that is satisfactory.
You may not have the capacity to begin a huge impact project or start a non-profit organization (although I would give my support if you wanted to try) but you don’t have to do good. You just have to have the correct mindset.
The consistent “good" leads to the “well” that many desire.
Another way to do good is to support other organizations that already have infrastructure. Here are a few that I have worked with before:
There are many opportunities to serve. One great thing about digital technology and the Internet is that you can easily find existing organizations in your area that are supporting a cause that is meaningful to you.
In conclusion, there is a lot of “good” in the world. You have three general ways to be involved.
Do everyday nice things
Start something good of your own
Help out an already existing good cause
Why?
There seems to be a lot of questions in the subtitles today. The reason is that we tend to question things for which the world doesn’t provide feedback.
No newspaper (or digital media source) is going to do a write up on you for opening some doors for people and it would take quite a lot of work for your impact project to generate publicity.
We just don’t celebrate the simple yet consistent. It’s disheartening because the most successful organizations and people work very hard for years to make things great. It’s not until they reach the pinnacle of their field that they are celebrated.
There are no overnight successes. The work to get there is not so glamorous.
I urge you to put in the everyday work to do good before you expect to do well (or be celebrated for having done well).
The reason why we do good is because we know it’s right. We know that we were put here on this earth do good things for other people.
Our unique set of gifts and skills cannot be overlooked nor can it be misused.
Impactmakers acknowledge that they have something special and put forth the necessary effort to use it effectively.
How Do You Know You’ve Done Well?
This is where impactmaking separates itself from the other things of the world.
In business, you know you’ve done well when your company’s revenue is up or maybe if you’re truly successful, when you go public.
If you’re a sales representative, you know you’ve done well when you win the competition put forth by your employer or you receive some aggressive incentives.
In sports, you know you’ve done well when you score a lot of points and win the game. You know you’re the best when you win the championship.
In the world of “good” it’s different. There’s select few metrics and awards (one would be the Nobel Peace Prize) that are universally known as measurements of doing good and thus, indications that one has done well.
You’ll know you’ve done well when you lay down to rest and believe that the people you encountered during your day are appreciative of what you did.
It’s a feeling, not a prize.
Prizes come and go. Feelings last.