Take the next step!<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-name” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Black Han Sans|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_font=”|||on|||||” header_4_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Words by Impact Specialist, Rachel Dunford So, you’re heading into THAT meeting with your line manager. It\u2019s time to discuss your next move\u2014whether you’re aiming for a promotion or hoping to negotiate a pay rise. You want to make a persuasive case, so you leave with what you deserve.<\/p>\n But here’s the thing: it\u2019s not enough to simply rely on the length of time you\u2019ve been in your role, the number of people you\u2019ve been managing, or how much business you\u2019ve generated. This is just part of the story. To really stand out, you need to demonstrate the value you bring beyond these numbers. What matters more is showing the impact you\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n But how do you do that? Rachel Dunford, also known as the Impact Specialist, helps individuals and organisations to have a better handle on their impact. Here, she breaks down her top five tips to guaranteeing your next step at work\u2026<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] For many of us, it can be difficult to articulate our impact. Often, we default to defining ourselves by using our job title, industry, or by listing out numbers like \u2018I\u2019ve developed 26 brands this year\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019ve brought in \u00a350k in sales.\u2019 While these metrics are important, your impact is so much more than that.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the difference you make to the people you serve, work with, and support. Impact is all about change\u2014it\u2019s about solving problems, creating transformations, and leaving things better than you found them.<\/p>\n The first step is to think about what success looks like in your role. What transformation are you influencing through your work? What high-level problem are you solving? This is the foundation of defining your impact.<\/p>\n Achieving a big goal can often seem overwhelming, and it might take time. In fact, sometimes, the impact we\u2019re trying to make may never fully materialise as a \u2018final\u2019 achievement – our roles often contribute to ongoing progress, creating impact that continuously evolves.<\/p>\n So, when it comes to making your case for a promotion or pay rise, it\u2019s important to show that you\u2019re making an impact along the way. This means breaking down your high-level goals into smaller, more tangible changes that happen over time.<\/p>\n For example, if your goal is to increase retention in a membership programme, the immediate impact won\u2019t be a fully engaged, thriving community overnight. Instead, it might look like:<\/p>\n \u2022 More members attending live sessions These smaller, incremental changes matter – they\u2019re the stepping stones that add up to the bigger goal. Then ask yourself what the smaller, incremental changes that take place as a result of the work you do?<\/p>\n Note these down \u2013 this is where you are going to look for proof of your impact.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] If you can\u2019t prove it, it didn\u2019t happen! Well, that\u2019s not really true of course, but being able to demonstrate your impact is vital, particularly when it comes to making a solid case to your managers.<\/p>\n So, where do you find this proof? Look at the list of changes that have occurred as a result of your work. Maybe it\u2019s a shift in someone\u2019s behaviour, improved knowledge, or progress within a larger project. It could also be more personal – helping someone feel more confident or influencing someone\u2019s visibility within the company.<\/p>\n Build a growing evidence base that makes it easy for you to showcase these smaller changes when the time comes. Here are a few simple ways to track your impact:<\/p>\n \u2022 Set up a folder on your phone or in your computer to quickly jot down successes, no matter how big or small.<\/p>\n \u2022 Screenshot positive feedback, emails, testimonials, or messages that show the results of your work.<\/p>\n \u2022 Keep a running list of before-and-after scenarios\u2014what wasn\u2019t working, what you did, and what changed as a result.<\/p>\n Having everything in one place makes it easy to access the evidence you need when you\u2019re making your case.<\/p>\n To make your case even stronger, it\u2019s important to demonstrate not just your personal impact, but how that impact contributes to your team, department, or company.<\/p>\n When you align your individual impact with your organisation\u2019s goals and priorities, you transform yourself from someone who simply does good work into someone who drives meaningful change that supports the bigger picture.<\/p>\n Before heading into that meeting, take time to reflect on all the positive evidence you\u2019ve collected. How does the work you\u2019ve done align with the company\u2019s current objectives or strategy?<\/p>\n When you can link your individual contributions directly to the broader business goals, it\u2019s much easier to make your impact undeniable. And don\u2019t forget to share these insights with your manager during the conversation!<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″] It\u2019s important to recognise that impact isn\u2019t always positive. Sometimes, things don\u2019t go as planned, or we fall short of what we hoped to achieve. This is completely normal. What matters is that we acknowledge when things didn\u2019t go right, learn from it, and work on improving.<\/p>\n To continue making an impact, you need to remain proactive in your development. Talk to your peers and managers. Stay engaged with the industry, network, and actively seek opportunities to enhance your knowledge and experience. You can also address areas where your impact could improve. This shows you\u2019re committed to continuous growth\u2014and your manager will notice that.<\/p>\n Having a growth mindset is key to long-term success. So, when things don\u2019t go as expected, use it as an opportunity to communicate your plans for improvement. Make sure your manager knows that you\u2019re dedicated to ensuring your impact keeps evolving. With the right evidence, the right mindset, and the right language, you\u2019ll walk into that meeting with confidence, knowing that you\u2019ve earned the next step in your career.<\/p>\n Rachel Dunford, also known as the Impact Specialist, helps individuals and organisations to have a better handle on their impact. She enables them to articulate, measure, prove, demonstrate and maximise the value they create through their work. Rachel runs a free online network for bold, ambitious and values-driven women who want to be known for making an impact. You can join them here<\/a>. Find Rachel online here<\/a>, or on LinkedIn here<\/a> or Instagram here<\/a>.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] Photo: <\/b>Imago<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You can’t go wrong with these…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":7677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-news"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"guestgrazia","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7666"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7680,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7666\/revisions\/7680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/03\/imago70086866-scaled.jpg” alt=”Woman at work” title_text=”Woman at desk writing on notepad model released Symbolfoto property released PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIx” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]Get clear about your intended impact<\/h3>\n
Break down high-level goals into shorter-term changes<\/h3>\n
\u2022 Higher open rates on emails as members re-engage
\u2022 A change in how members talk about their experience in feedback<\/p>\nTrack and measure your contributions<\/h3>\n
Make your impact impossible to ignore<\/h3>\n
Make sure your impact keeps growing<\/h3>\n
So, what have we learned from all of this? That by focusing on the measurable impact you\u2019ve made, and showing a commitment to continued growth, you\u2019ll position yourself for career success. Remember, it\u2019s not just about what you\u2019ve done – it\u2019s about the difference you\u2019ve created and how you\u2019ve contributed to the bigger picture.<\/p>\nAbout the author:<\/h3>\n
Originally a management consultant, Rachel went on to set up her multi-award winning over 13 years ago. Her flagship service, the Rapid Impact Review, enables businesses to see how their clients perceive them by capturing powerful evidence of their impact and making constructive recommendations to increase their impact and value.
She also delivers a range of talks, webinars and training programmes to empower and educate people on the importance of impact.<\/p>\n