How can I have more impact?

We took a small group of top performing salespeople and entrepreneurs into the Tenderloin in San Francisco to give out food and supplies to homeless people. Most of these people were from out of town and had no idea what we were in for. None of us did really.

We arranged to have someone lead our group who works with the community to supervise and keep us safe. At the last second, our safety guide had cancelled on us. After some scramble, they said that they found someone to come out with us.

It’s hard to put words to what we all experienced that day. It was powerful on so many levels, and yet the biggest take away for me personally had nothing to do with serving the homeless.

The woman who came to our rescue had been on disability. She had been working and volunteering until they made her stop. When she heard about our story and what we were doing, she knew she had to answer the call. By the end of the day, she was crying, we were crying and we were all left with this feeling -- how can we do more.

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I listen to entrepreneurs and brands with these noble visions about how they are going to change the world and create massive social impact. I’m grateful for their commitment and dedication to improving the planet for all of us.

But… there’s a but.

If we want to have more impact, we have to take care of ourselves first.

I know this may seem counterintuitive or even selfish, so stay with me here. Our ability to give more is directly proportional to how well we are doing individually, to our own energy, to have our personal needs met.

This woman was on disability, and she wanted nothing more than to be out there doing more for the community. She had to focus on herself and her healing first though because she literally had nothing left to give. Such is the case with so many who put service ahead of their own needs.

Some of these companies and brands with these ambitious charitable goals are unfortunately going to have to learn this lesson the hard way. They have to create massive value and create a profitable, sustainable business first so that they can be around long enough to make the contribution and impact they envision.

I have so much love and respect for these companies with these bold, impact-driven mission statements just as I did for the woman who lead our group in the Tenderloin on that rainy Saturday afternoon.

If we want to have more impact, focus internally first and make sure our own house in order. And while that process may not be as fast or as easy as we'd like, it is absolutely necessary if we want our impact to ripple throughout the universe.