Think Impact
Or how to answer the most difficult interview question
If there is one thing I hope COVID-19 has achieved, it is preventing interviewers from asking candidates where they see themselves in five years. No one can tell what is going to happen next month, let after five years. Had the young Cat Stevens lived in our turbulent times, he would have sung VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) World instead of Wild World.
Trying to imagine what our lives will look like in the future is at least futile, at most dangerous. The world is changing at an astonishing pace. What looks today like a good job or opportunity could become obsolete in few years. Holding to a fixed view of our future selves could prevent us from adapting and exploring alternative paths.
Instead, we could focus on what kind of impact we would like to make. Thinking in terms of impact shifts our perspective from the what to the why. Few years ago, during a management course assignment, I was asked to write down where I saw myself after three years. This is what I wrote :
In three years from now, I see myself as an entrepreneur. I will promote a participative management style and try to gather everyone around a common vision. I want to show entrepreneurs that it is possible to be successful while adopting modern generation management practices.
After five years, I have not become an entrepreneur. I have been a manager for several years and I am working everyday to promote a modern and agile management style. If I have failed to achieve what I have envisioned, I am still faithful to the impact I wanted to make.
Impacts are the reflection of our values and principles. They are the change we want to see in the world. The same impact could be achieved through different means and ways. We can keep our options open while following our inner compass.
So, what impact do you want to make ?
