Hiring is about more than just finding a person to join your team and handle all the tasks you don’t enjoy doing – or it should be. It’s an opportunity for us to have a far greater impact in this world than we realize.

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You know what it looks like when you toss a stone into a pond. As the stone lands in the water, small waves ripple outward from the center. That’s how I like to think of the impact we can create when hiring.

Hiring impacts more than you or me and our businesses. It impacts more than our clients or the audiences we serve. And it impacts more than just that one team member we hire. When someone comes to work for us, we have the power to change their whole entire life – for better or for worse – and the lives of everyone they interact with each day.

Many of us have experienced working at a soul-draining job before starting our own business. It was a struggle to get up in the morning. We dreaded going to work every day and as soon as we walked into our workplace, it was stressful and overwhelming. 

As business owners, we have a chance to do it differently. To create a better place to work for our employees. And to be a better boss and leader for our team. We have this amazing opportunity to create jobs and careers for people who otherwise might be stuck in a soul-draining job. And the exciting part is that we can do this over, and over, and over again!

When I think about bringing people onto my team or helping other business owners hire for their teams, I don’t just see that one employee we’re hiring. I see every single person that individual will come into contact with on a daily basis. This is what I refer to as The Impact Ripple.

The Impact Ripple

As business owners and leaders, we are like the stone in the water that starts the ripple effect. And our impact can be either positive or negative. Let’s take a look at two very different examples to see the impact we can create in this world when hiring just one person.

Soul-Draining Job Impact Ripple

At the soul-draining job, the boss never listens to the employee, they don’t respect their opinions, and they micromanage every little task. This person is just another cog in the company wheel that’s expected to keep their head down and do their job. The boss and the company don't care about them as a person and are only worried about one thing – profits.

The Impact Ripple of working at that soul-draining job is not positive. When this employee gets off work, they’re completely drained: mentally, physically, and emotionally. They stoop over from the sheer weight of being at that job all day long and their confidence is shot. They feel like they’re stuck in a dead-end job and that things are hopeless.

When they stop to pick up some dinner on the drive home, they snap at the employee working at the window. Then, when they arrive home, they lash out at their spouse with impatience and are so worn out and feeling defeated that they don’t have the energy or desire to play with their kids. They flop down on the couch with a deep sigh and flip on the TV to tune out and escape reality, if only for a little while.

As you can see, The Impact Ripple of this soul-draining job extends far beyond just the employee. It reaches their spouse, kids, and even the fast-food worker. And that’s just the tip of the impact iceberg.

How this employee is showing up at work and for the people in their life is a poor representation of who they are as a person, who they want to be, and who they have the potential to be! 

Next, let’s take a look at a soul-filling job impact ripple.

Soul-Filling Job Impact Ripple

At the soul-filling job, the boss loves to hear the employee’s ideas, respects their opinions, and gives them the responsibility and freedom to take charge in their area of expertise. This person is an important part of not only the work being done, but of the long-term vision and mission of the company. They’re making a difference every day. When things come up, the boss and the company approach it on a case-by-case basis and always try to take care of the employee first and foremost. Their people are the most important part of the business after all.

In contrast to the soul-draining job, The Impact Ripple of working at this soul-filling job is positive. When this employee gets off work, they’re energized: mentally, physically, and emotionally. They’re standing tall and feeling proud of the work they did and the contributions they were able to make at work. Their confidence is strengthened. They feel the excitement of a thousand possibilities and are hopeful about the future.

When they stop to pick up some dinner on the drive home, they’re kind at the employee working at the window and they even pay for the car behind them. When they arrive home, they’re attentive and loving to their spouse, engaging them in conversation about the day and laughing about the funny thing one of their kids said at school that day. Speaking of the kids, they’re excited to play a new game they made up with them that week, before bath time and their nightly reading. They’re fully engaged with their family and love flows all around them.

Just as with the soul-draining job, The Impact Ripple of the soul-filling job extends far beyond just the employee. It reaches their spouse, kids, and even the fast-food worker. But this time, it’s a much more positive experience and impact.

Which Impact Ripple Will You Create

We have the opportunity to create careers for people where they get to do meaningful work. One where their opinions and ideas matter and their potential is fulfilled. 

When we hire employees, we create more than just a job – we create possibilities for people.

We can have an impact beyond our wildest dreams because of the type of culture we design in our businesses and the way we treat our people. That’s both an incredible opportunity and a big responsibility.

I don’t want you to think about hiring as something we do to get help for the tasks in our business that we don’t enjoy. I want you to expand your mind and think about the possibilities and the opportunities that you are creating for other humans in this world. Think about the impact you will have on their lives and the impact they will be able to have on the lives of others.

The SproutHR Impact Ripple

Here at SproutHR, we believe that women business owners have endless potential to create careers and opportunities for people that are truly transformative. That’s why we’re on a mission to help you create 10,000 new jobs! 

Our mission is built upon our core value “You Belong Here,” which emphasizes our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. We believe that we are better together; that every voice matters and should be heard; and that a truly dynamic and high-performing team is a diverse team.

We have a vision for how we can change the world and it is powerful.

One of the most impactful things I’ve been told in my own journey, was when our team member Maura shared with me how much she believed in our vision and mission. She talked about how proud she was to be part of the work we’re doing because she’s not just going to a job, but is part of a business that is committed to changing the world. 

I cried when she told me, “I can’t wait to tell my (3-year old) son about the work that I’ve done with SproutHR one day. I’m proud to be part of something that is more than just a job. We really are changing the world!” 

Yes!! My heart nearly burst out of my chest. THAT is a perfect example of the power of The Impact Ripple. And I want that for you, too.

If you’ve thought about hiring help to do some tasks in your business because you’re feeling overloaded and overwhelmed, I want you to pause for a moment. You need and deserve help because you have a bigger vision and mission to fulfill. But I encourage you to step back and think about the even bigger possibilities that exist for you and your future team. Think about what opportunities exist for you to create careers and a culture in which those people are going to change their lives and, in turn, ripple outward and change the world.

If you’d like more help with this, we would be honored to help you. Grab our FREE Hiring Roadmap to learn the steps you need to start hiring and creating possibilities today!

Authored by Ashley Cox, PHR, SHRM-CP