Redefiners Podcast: Leadership Lounge

Episode: How to Create and Maintain Impact as a Leader
Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Emma Coon (Leadership Advisor, London)
Guests:

• Shannon Knott (Leadership Advisor, Atlanta)
• Erin Marie Collins (Leadership Advisor, Melbourne)

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, the Leadership Lounge explores what it means to create and sustain meaningful leadership impact in today’s dynamic landscape. Host Emma Coon is joined by Shannon Knott and Erin Marie Collins, both experienced leadership advisors, to unpack practical ways leaders can define, measure, and maintain their influence—making the case that impact is a never-ending journey of evolution, intention, and self-awareness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Leadership Impact (01:40–02:53)

• Impact is Both Tangible and Intangible
  Shannon: “Every action or inaction has an impact. Therefore, leadership impact is about both the tangible and the intangible effects that we have on others. ... It's really more than hitting targets or delivering financial results. ... As a leader, impact goes a lot deeper.” (01:48)

• Impact is Contextual
  The definition and measurement of impact shifts as one’s role changes. What is impactful at one level (e.g., Director) can be very different at another (e.g., CEO). Conscious and intentional leadership is crucial at every stage.

• Trust as a Foundation
  Emma highlights that trust is at the core of impact—“The upshot of impact essentially boils down to trust.” (03:26)
  She references the Edelman Trust Barometer’s finding that 7 in 10 people distrust business leaders, highlighting the immense responsibility leaders have in building consistency and credibility.

2. Creating Sustained Impact (04:12–06:02)

• Beyond Metrics
  Erin Marie: “Sustained impact isn’t just about meeting or exceeding performance metrics ... it’s about creating the conditions that allow others to perform at their best, and not just today, but tomorrow.” (04:20)

• Leadership as Practice, Not Position
  Shannon: “Leaders have to be adaptable and curious ... it’s that ongoing evolution that keeps their impact fresh and relevant.” (04:59)

• Traits for Long-Term Impact
  Adaptability, resilience, curiosity, emotional intelligence, and a systemic lens are vital. “Early success often comes from mastery ... but sustained success then requires something different: adaptability, curiosity, and resilience.” (04:59)

3. Continuously Earning Impact (07:02–09:21)

• Never a One-Time Achievement Shannon: “It’s something you need to earn continually. ... What earned you credibility five years ago might not do so today. ... Sustained impact is then about how you can recalibrate that balance again and again.” (07:02)

• Reflection, Feedback, Renewal
  Impactful leaders rely on ongoing cycles of honest reflection, seeking feedback, and adapting their approach. “The leaders who invest in reflection and feedback sustain impact because they stay self-aware.” (08:12)

• Anchoring in Purpose Shannon: Leadership potential realization at RRA focuses on core identity and legacy. “We focus on ensuring they have a really clear sense of who they are, what they value, what they aspire towards, and importantly, the legacy that they want to leave behind.” (08:12)

• Purpose in Action: “Philotomo”
  Emma shares how RRA’s CEO, Constantine Alexandrakis, anchors leadership and behavior in the Greek value “philotomo”—compassing honor, generosity, empathy, and hospitality. “It’s really clear—one word, but actually, it has such depth to it.” (10:32)

4. Measuring & Assessing Impact (11:41–13:59)

• Impact is About Others’ Experience
  Erin Marie: “Impact isn’t about what we intend, it’s about what others experience.” (11:41)

• Diagnostics Leaders Can Use:

  • Stakeholder Mapping – Identify all groups you influence; directly seek their perspectives.
  • Trusted Cabinet – Build a circle of confidants for unfiltered feedback.
    “Go talk to a customer ... build a trusted cabinet of mentors, confidants, colleagues who will give you that unfiltered feedback.” (12:21)

• Key Self-Assessment Questions (Emma, 12:41):

  • Are your people growing under your leadership?
  • Does the team function well in your absence?
  • Are you shaping industry conversations or building external trust?
  • Do stakeholders respond to your ideas and leadership style as intended?

• Skip Conversations
  Emma recommends leaders seek feedback not just from direct reports but from those farther down the line (“skip conversations”) to gain more candid insight.

5. Inspirational, Everyday Leadership (13:59–16:43)

• Duality of Great Leaders
  Erin Marie: “They can absolutely shine in the spotlight ... but they also show up in the everyday, in the routine and the mundane. ... They role model the behaviors that they expect from others day in and day out, consistently, sometimes quietly. They're not afraid to show vulnerability.” (13:59)

• Intentional Authenticity
  Shannon recounts an inspiring RRA leader: “She wasn’t necessarily the most outgoing ... she was open and she was curious ... the environment, therefore, she created was one where we also felt safe to take risks and to learn and to evolve.” (15:09)

  “It's really not about perfection as a leader. It's about evolution. It's about continuing to learn. ... It’s helping leaders stay in motion, to develop the adaptability and agility to keep learning and growing long after the title arrives.” (16:00)

• Authenticity is Work, Not Accident
  Shannon: “Inspirational leaders are authentic, but not without intention. They've done the hard work to understand who they are as a leader and the impact that they want to have on those around them.” (16:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tangible vs. Intangible Impact:

  “Leadership impact is about both the tangible and the intangible effects that we have on others. ... Impact goes a lot deeper.”
  — Shannon Knott (01:48)

• On Earning Impact:

  “It’s something you need to earn continually. Each stage in a leader’s career comes with new rules of engagement.”
  — Shannon Knott (07:02)

• On Reflection:

  “It's not a single intervention, but rather a conscious and intentional rhythm of reflection, feedback and renewal.”
  — Shannon Knott (08:12)

• On Purpose:

  “Having a clear sense of their personal values and aspirations was important in preparing them for their current role.”
  — Emma Coon (09:21)

• On Authenticity & Evolution:

  “It's really not about perfection as a leader. It's about evolution. It's about continuing to learn.”
  — Shannon Knott (16:00)

• On Duality:

  “They can absolutely shine in the spotlight ... but also show up in the everyday, in the routine and the mundane. ... They role model the behaviors that they expect from others day in and day out.”
  — Erin Marie Collins (13:59)

Structured Timestamps for Key Segments

• Defining Impact & Context – 01:40–02:53
• Trust & Internal vs. External Impact – 02:53–04:12
• Sustaining Impact: Traits & Practice – 04:12–06:02
• Continuous Learning & Recalibration – 07:02–08:12
• Anchoring in Purpose & Legacy – 08:12–09:21
• Measuring Impact: Feedback Loops – 11:41–12:41
• Questions for Self-Assessment – 12:41–13:59
• Inspirational Leadership: Duality & Everyday Actions – 13:59–16:43

Key Takeaways

• Impact is Intentional and Ongoing: Leaders must constantly define, measure, and refine their influence—across themselves and every stakeholder group.
• Leadership is a Practice: Staying curious, adaptable, and open to feedback enables relevance and sustained impact—regardless of title.
• Authenticity Requires Effort: The best leaders are intentionally authentic, grounded in clarity about their values and legacy.
• Consistent Reflection: Reflection and honest feedback—via mentors, stakeholder mapping, or skip-level conversations—are tools for self-calibration.
• Duality Matters: The most inspiring leaders blend visibility in big moments with the capacity to “show up” every day, modeling values, consistency, and humility.

For leaders at any stage, this episode is a guide to embracing impact as a living, dynamic process rather than a destination—a reminder that leadership is ultimately about the legacy you create and the conditions you foster for others to thrive.