The IMPACT Code: Live the Life You Deserve

Citation

Bullock, J. (2009), "The IMPACT Code: Live the Life You Deserve", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 187-188. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730910935792

The IMPACT Code is written from the premise that many individuals seek ways to achieve more; it gleans essential life lessons from positive and negative experiences often encountered in the world of work to form an actionable program that, if followed, will help promote success. Given the dearth of self‐help and motivational books available today, what makes The IMPACT Code different? Nigel Risner is a widely acclaimed motivational speaker, television personality, and executive coach who has firsthand experience as a successful business leader and Chief Executive Officer of a London financial services company, allowing him to bring a real world perspective to individual performance improvement. Offering no apologies, Risner's introduction puts all the cards on the table with a bold statement to readers: “YOU'RE LAZY.” For readers seeking more in life he admonishes that there are no quick fixes and affirms: “So, stop wishing and start working.” Firmly grounded in the harsh realities of the global business environment and the failure of most self‐help programs, Risner shares wisdom in achieving lasting personal change into a simple prescription for success distilled from working with “thousands of people all over the world – from America to Nigeria, Dubai to Ukraine, from Hungary to Israel” in the IMPACT Code:

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  I = be “In the room”.

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  M = Model from the best.

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  P = have Passion and purpose.

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  A = take Action.

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  C = enjoy a little Comic relief.

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  T = learn to Trust.

Although the IMPACT Code summarized above is simple, putting the Code into action is anything but simple as anyone can attest who has attempted to achieve a major personal or behavioral change. Human beings are creatures of habit and old habits die‐hard. Risner provides readers with a brief but excellent primer in the psychology of cognition and behavior change, promoting a better understanding of how the brain leverages emotion, logic, and perception to create memory, both short‐ and long‐term. Tying this to a person's sincere desire to change their life, he explains that lasting change begins with small steps just outside one's comfort zone – not the radical change many self‐help pundits propose leading to failure and deterioration of self‐esteem. By way of personal example, Risner notes the importance of doing something every day that is considered a success, regardless of how small. “Sometimes just getting through my workload and being home in time for dinner is a feat that seems to defy the laws of physics. I write it down; it reminds me that I can.” This is then parlayed into a discussion about how each person makes choices about how they feel and choose to react to and situations. Leveraging important lessons learned from his mentor, Jack Canfield, originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul^® series, Risner stresses that outcomes are created based on responses given to events or experiences. Understanding the role of conscious choices about responses helps put the reader back in control and puts them on the path to success.

The IMPACT Code is recommended for anyone seeking to improve performance or to change the live they are living to help them achieve more, whether more is success or happiness. Strikingly simple, the book is readily approachable and written in easy to understand language much akin to a pep talk by a personal life coach. Each letter of the IMPACT Code is presented in a separate chapter that opens with a big picture overview of the idea behind the letter as an element of the code, a summary of the element, and details about how to implement it, as well as an exercise to allow readers to practice the element. The seventh chapter helps the reader integrate all elements of the code and provides guidance on how to keep the code alive, more exercises, and the affirmation: “YOU CAN DO IT!” Poignant quotations are inscribed on every other page; over 150 pearls of wisdom offered for readers to consider and take to heart. As Risner notes, “Only you have the power to create a good life for yourself and consequently, only you can make the changes necessary to affect your life. No matter how grand your dreams are they are still worth chasing; the journey matters more than crossing the finish line.”