How to Measure Your Impact on the World

Better thinking and decision-making

Introducing the Purpose-Influence-Power Model

Do you have an idea how you impact the world? Would you like to know how you compare on a relative basis?

We’re living in times when individuals can reach more fellow humans than ever before. This is because the world’s population has never been larger and our tools to reach others have never been more powerful. As a result, people today can do great good but also great harm.

The Purpose-Influence-Power Model gives us a helpful tool to examine individuals’ relative impact. Let me explain a few terms and then we can fill in some details and try our model out.

Purpose means both what you are trying to achieve and the likely outcome, at least directionally. Important: you don’t get credit for good intentions alone.

If you are trying to feed your family but you do so by selling drugs or stealing, you’re trending towards the left side of the chart — causing harm. We say this even though your stated intention may be to help others, i.e. your family.

Similarly, if you say you want to help others, but you do so by establishing a charity that pays you a salary that consumes most of your donated funds, you belong in the self-focused column.

Think of purpose as intention plus effect, or your aim and the result you achieve.

Influence means the number of people you can reach by your actions. How much good (or harm) can you do directly?

If you are selling vegetables from your garden, your reach is those people who buy your produce.

If you are a petty criminal, your reach is the people you victimize plus the follow-on victims. I.e., stealing from a parent also affects what they can provide for their family.

If you are sharing ideas with the world, your reach is everyone who comes across your idea. A sign on your lawn has less…

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