The #VIRTUES & #VICES of #Impact Virtues: Chastity: Chastitas, Charity: Caritas, Kindness: Humanitas, Temperance: Temperantia, Patience: Patentia, Diligence: Industria, Humility: Humilitas VICES: Pride: Superbia, Lust: Luxuria, Gluttony: Gula, Sloth: Acedia, Wrath: Ira, Envy: Invidia, Greed: Avaritia

1. IMPACTs VIRTUES & VICES
For Impact Entrepreneurs,
Innovators & Investors
-1- VIRTUE: Humility, Courage Will prevent unjustified claims of bonus &
unintended impact(s) resulting from external factors and fortunate
circumstances. It encourages assessing critical catalysts and ensuring
facilitating & supportive circumstances & catalysts.
Be proud of your impact propostition, but avoid claiming all impacts:
expected and unexpected as the result of your impact proposition(s).
It will make you vulnerable to justified thus hard to ward off impact
washing & overselling critique. VICE: PRIDE, Contentment
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2. -2- VIRTUE: Charity, the Common: Taking into account impact(s) for
all stakeholders: your customers, employees, supply chain,
shareholders and the community assures your impact proposition
delivers prosperity for all. You can apply for soft loans or funding with
low interest and friendly terms.
But if you scale at the expense of other more impact efficient
propositions, innovations & investments you are taking more of the
capitals: natural, human, social or financial than you should. Look
further than profititability to break even, healthy revenues & scale.
Definately dont just plan to cash & sel/exit falling into the trap of…
VICE: GREED, Avarice, Selfishness
-3- VIRTUE: Chastity, Wisdom. Focus on essential, most immediate
and measurable impact(s). Preferably standard metrics eg Global
Global targets & indicators. Look at Positive & Negative impact(s)
for Net impact Effectivity. And don’t forget Possibility & Probability
in impact scenarios planning.
Positive Impact(s) will make you happy & hunger for more, more more
and claiming it all. Negative impact risks, effects can appear, because
of scaling or unexpected developments. Be thorough and unbiased
however excited you are about the achievable impact (s) and their
potential. The enormous potential of impact(s) requires you to be
realistic & reserved about presumed impact effects. Indulging in
positive impact s is enticing, but really impact cosmetics, it may look
great but it wears off. VICE: LUST, Pleasure
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3. -4- VIRTUE: Temperance, Moderation Select a limited number of
quality & quantity data to assess your potential impact(s) &
scaling potential. #Focus!
Assessing all kinds of impact(s) and exploring the wonderful world
of Big Data & AI analysis possibilities is sooooo tempting as they
may show yet another unexpected impact to claim. Don’t overdo it!
keep your impact data lean & mean to come to strong convincing
intervention effects: real impact. VICE: GLUTTONY, Overconsumption
Where it comes to impact attribition: go #stingy!
Especially when you aim at impact for the poor(est ) people & developing countries, your impact is limited
to what they can and want to afford. However great your proposition, there are always limitations and
competitive offerings, even when they seem irrational or irrelevant you may find out the hard way you can’t
compete. Use straightforward, traditional marketing research techniques to keep focused on your potential
market, marketshare and scaling speed to assure your efforts & investments are realistic. Eg Check out
Acumens Lean & Mean Data checklist for impact measurement https://acumen.org/lean-data/
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4. -5- VIRTUE: Diligence, Fortitude Make sure your analysis of expected impact(s) is
diligent, thorough and unbiased however excited you are about the achievable
impact s and potential. Go for Materiality or Relevance. Just as your financial
due diligence examination is meticulous to assure a healthy business model &
revenues, scaling potential and a responsible credit, investment or exit price.
Dont pass off standard impact standards as your own without a deep
understanding AND tailoring towards critical impact requirements: Eg
irrespective of the impact of core activities, the impact of business dimensions
or the impact that is important for specific (sub)sectors or the contribution to
the Global Goals. Are the impact ambitions immersed in the impact business
model when going to market? #Don’tCopy&PastePoorly! VICE: SLOTH, Lazyness
-6- Kindness, Be Fair: The progress on the impact roadmap varies for sectors
and companies. From 5 or Gold star, best in class, to chasers, middle of the
road, to laggards and those in denial, the ‘dead man walking’. However
dissappointing the lack of impact ambitions, action and achievements take
into account the starting position: impact awareness, understanding and
perceived possibilities. Refrain from unfair Impact critique.Look for a robust
mix of tackling specific impact issues, mitigating negative impact AND
transformation towards better impact. Don’t be discouraged or halted by
high principles and standards such as the UN Global Compact, Global
Integrated Reporting Systems and IRIS+ impact metrics: select the practical
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5. & doable and build on that. We can never do/be, #bestpracticedemotivator
VICE: ENVY
-7- VIRTUE Patience However solid your impact proof of concept, proposition
& business model avoid expecting impact miracles to happen immediately
and all at once. Stay confident but let it not stop you to constantly assess &
improve on it! Circumstances change and new insights may pop up that
deliver crucial information. Impact(s) must be assessed longitudinal. Impact
Investors use ‘patient capital’ for a reason! Impact also needs to progress over
time, wheter it is a revolution or a evoluationary roadmap.
Dont go quick & easy Copy & Pasting competitors ‘standard’ impactcriteria &
method thinking you can pull it off because of your market share, position and
reputation. Impact is more than a static dataset. VICE: WRATH
Comments? Questions?
Please contact me on https://www.linkedin.com/in/alcannehoutzaager
Interested in our Investible
Impact Innovations course?
For Innovators & Investors?
Pls Follow me on Twitter @Alcanne
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Impact Investing & Innovation Tools & Thought Pieces
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