When we talk about leadership today, it often sounds like purposeful vision, an empowering tone, well-crafted communication, and a strong sense of direction. And yes, of course, intent matters. It signals self-awareness, ambition, and clarity.
But what if your impact matters more than you give it credit for?
What if the way people feel after interacting with you, the energy they leave with, and the agency they gain or lose are the true differentiators between good leadership and meaningful leadership?
Do you dare to examine your impact instead of relying on your intent?
The trap of good intentions
It’s comfortable. You meant well. You explained your reasoning. You tried to help. You thought you were being clear. You thought you were empowering. Intent offers psychological safety, and it lets you keep the story intact.
Psychology calls this the self-serving bias: the tendency to judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their outcomes. Leaders rely on this unconsciously. It protects identity, but it obscures impact.
But intent can also isolate you.
You speak with confidence but don’t notice the hesitation in the room.
You assume alignment while others quietly adapt to avoid conflict.
You believe you’re enabling people, yet they’re still waiting on you.
Research also shows that leaders routinely overestimate how positively they are perceived. A phenomenon known as leader–follower perception asymmetry.
Over the years, I’ve seen strong intentions fall short simply because leaders didn’t check their impact. I can admit I have been in the situation where I didn’t see how my tone shut down possibilities, how my speed overwhelmed slower thinkers, or how my certainty left no space for contribution. You might believe you’re creating clarity, but if others walk away confused, you haven’t delivered clarity.
Intent tells you who you think you are.
Impact tells you who you are in the system.
Impact doesn’t move only downward
We’re used to imagining leadership as a vertical flow. But in reality, impact moves in every direction.
Sideways—across peers
Influence here is relational, not positional.
Teams look for trust, emotional steadiness, and collaboration. Exactly the qualities linked to high collective intelligence.
Not the loudest voice. Not the highest title. But the leader who lifts the group’s ability to think together.
Sideways, intent means little. Impact means everything.
Upwards—to your leaders
Upward influence isn’t about pleasing; it’s about clarity, framing, and judgement. Research shows that leaders respond more strongly to employees who bring solutions, context, and confidence. Not just noise and dependency.
Your impact shows up in how easy you make it for leaders to make better decisions.
Downwards—to your team
This is where psychological safety comes in.
Amy Edmondson’s research shows that teams perform better when people feel safe to speak up. And that feeling is not created by intent. It is created by daily impact.
Impact is a system-wide ripple. It touches every direction you lead.
What real impact looks like
Impact is not charisma. It’s not a confident briefing or a polished leadership statement. Impact is felt.
It’s the sense of safety people experience when they speak up.
It’s the courage they gain when you listen without rushing to respond.
It’s the clarity they receive because you focused on meaning, not messaging. It’s also the ownership you give away so others grow into their full capacity.
Impact is choosing curiosity over assumption. It’s paying attention to the small shifts, the sudden silence, the protective body language, and the excitement you didn’t plan but can now nurture.
Great leaders don’t just communicate. They tune in. They notice the ripple they create and adjust with intention. That is impact in motion.
Leadership today is an impact sport
We no longer operate in top-down hierarchies where intentions trickle down and are simply accepted. We live in complex systems. Interdependent teams. Rapid change. Emotional landscapes that shape performance more than ever before.
Intent is the story you hold. Impact is the story everyone else tells.
So, what echoes after you leave the room?
