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Ripple Effect Model

1. Introduction to the Ripple Effect Model

You have been doing solid work for a year. Your manager says you are performing well. But if you ask what "the next level" looks like in practice, the answer is vague.

The Ripple Effect Model (REM) is a tool to answer that question. Like a stone dropped in water, your work starts at the center and spreads outward. You begin by doing your own work well. Over time, you help the people around you. Then your whole domain. Eventually, the whole company.

This model helps:

  • People looking for the next step: You do your work well but want to know how to make a bigger impact.
  • People between promotions: You want to keep growing even when title changes are far away.
  • Teams that need a clear map: Groups trying to figure out what "senior" or "advanced" means in daily work.
  • New hires: People who just joined and want to know what success looks like over time.

Growing your skills often means you are ready for a promotion. But this model is not a guaranteed promotion path or a replacement for your normal job review. It is a tool to use alongside your goals.

---
title: "Who the Ripple Effect Model Helps"
---
graph TB
    REM["Ripple Effect Model<br/>━━━<br/>A tool to understand<br/>and grow your impact"]
    P1["People looking for next steps<br/>━━━<br/>Do good work but want<br/>a bigger impact"]
    P2["People between promotions<br/>━━━<br/>Keep growing when<br/>title changes are far away"]
    P3["Teams that need a clear map<br/>━━━<br/>Define what senior<br/>means in daily work"]
    P4["New hires<br/>━━━<br/>Understand what success<br/>looks like over time"]
    REM --> P1
    REM --> P2
    REM --> P3
    REM --> P4
    style REM fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
    style P1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style P2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style P3 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style P4 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
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2. The Four Rings

The REM has four rings. Each ring adds more impact on top of the last.

Ring Name What it adds
Ring 1 Core Doing your own work well and owning your own tasks.
Ring 2 Team Ring 1 + organizing your team and sharing knowledge.
Ring 3 Domain Rings 1–2 + owning a whole platform or area of work.
Ring 4 Organization Rings 1–3 + teaching the entire company how to do things better. 
---
title: "The Four Rings of Impact"
---
graph LR
    R1["Ring 1 - Core<br/>━━━<br/>Doing your own work well<br/>and owning your own tasks"]
    R2["Ring 2 - Team<br/>━━━<br/>Organizing your team<br/>and sharing knowledge"]
    R3["Ring 3 - Domain<br/>━━━<br/>Owning a whole platform<br/>or area of work"]
    R4["Ring 4 - Organization<br/>━━━<br/>Teaching the whole company<br/>how to do things better"]
    R1 --> R2 --> R3 --> R4
    style R1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style R2 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style R3 fill:#95e1d3,stroke:#16a085,stroke-width:2px
    style R4 fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
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3. How Growth Works

---
title: "Three Things to Know About Growth"
---
graph LR
    G1["Growth is multidimensional<br/>━━━<br/>Different rings<br/>for different topics"]
    G2["Growth builds on the past<br/>━━━<br/>Keep doing basics<br/>while adding more"]
    G3["Growth requires proof<br/>━━━<br/>Show results with<br/>facts and numbers"]
    G1 --> G2 --> G3
    style G1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style G2 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style G3 fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
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Growth is multidimensional

Growing in your career is not a single straight line. You do not have one fixed ring for your entire job. You might be at Ring 3 for writing code, but at Ring 1 for mentoring people.

Because your work covers many topics, you will likely operate at different rings for different areas. You have reached a ring for a specific topic only when you can consistently show the results that ring requires.

---
title: "Growth is Multidimensional"
---
graph LR
    Person["One Person<br/>━━━<br/>Different rings<br/>for different topics"]
    T1["Writing Code<br/>━━━<br/>Ring 3 - Domain"]
    T2["Mentoring People<br/>━━━<br/>Ring 1 - Core"]
    T3["System Design<br/>━━━<br/>Ring 2 - Team"]
    Person --> T1
    Person --> T2
    Person --> T3
    style Person fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
    style T1 fill:#95e1d3,stroke:#16a085,stroke-width:2px
    style T2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style T3 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
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Growth builds on the past

Growing does not mean leaving old work behind. You keep doing the basics — but better. You also start taking on bigger responsibilities.

Some common wrong ideas:

  • "I got to the next ring, so I do not build things anymore." ❌
  • "Ring 1 work is beneath me." ❌
  • "Growing means making others do the basics." ❌
---
title: "Growth Builds on the Past - Not Replace It"
---
graph LR
    subgraph "Correct View"
        direction LR
        C1["Ring 1 - Keep doing basics well"]
        C2["Ring 2 - Add team responsibilities"]
        C3["Ring 3 - Add domain ownership"]
        C1 --> C2 --> C3
    end
    subgraph "Wrong View"
        direction LR
        W1["Get to next ring"]
        W2["Stop doing basics"]
        W1 --> W2
    end
    style C1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style C2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style C3 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style W1 fill:#ffe5e5,stroke:#c0392b,stroke-width:2px
    style W2 fill:#ffe5e5,stroke:#c0392b,stroke-width:2px
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Show your work

Do not just say you did a good job. Show it with facts and numbers. You need clear proof that your work helped others.

  • ❌ "Shows leadership."
  • ✅ "Helped the team finish reviews 40% faster by creating a new checklist."
  • ✅ "Reduced system crashes by 18% by writing a fix-it guide."
---
title: "Show Your Work With Facts and Numbers"
---
graph TB
    Claim{"Did you show<br/>real proof?"}
    Vague["Vague statement<br/>━━━<br/>Shows leadership"]
    Proof1["Clear proof<br/>━━━<br/>Team finishes reviews<br/>40% faster with a checklist"]
    Proof2["Clear proof<br/>━━━<br/>Crashes down 18%<br/>by writing a fix-it guide"]
    Claim -->|"No"| Vague
    Claim -->|"Yes"| Proof1
    Claim -->|"Yes"| Proof2
    style Claim fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style Vague fill:#ffe5e5,stroke:#c0392b,stroke-width:2px
    style Proof1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style Proof2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
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How many topics should you track?

You do not need to track every part of your job. Pick two or three topics that matter most to your current goals. Going deep on a few areas is more useful than spreading thin across many.

---
title: "How Many Topics to Track"
---
graph TB
    Q{"How many topics<br/>should I track?"}
    A1["2-3 topics that matter<br/>most to your current goals"]
    A2["Go deep on a few<br/>━━━<br/>Better than spreading thin<br/>across many topics"]
    Q --> A1
    A1 --> A2
    style Q fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style A1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style A2 fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
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What if you slip back?

Growth is not always a straight path forward. You might lose ground in a ring if you stop doing that work consistently. If that happens, focus on rebuilding the habit, not on the label. Ask yourself: "What would someone at this ring actually do this week?"

---
title: "What to Do If You Slip Back"
---
graph TB
    Slip["You lose ground<br/>in a ring"]
    React{"Right reaction?"}
    Wrong["Focus on the label<br/>━━━<br/>Worry about<br/>your ring number"]
    Right["Rebuild the habit<br/>━━━<br/>Ask: what would someone<br/>at this ring do this week?"]
    Slip --> React
    React -->|"Wrong"| Wrong
    React -->|"Right"| Right
    style Slip fill:#ffe5e5,stroke:#c0392b,stroke-width:2px
    style React fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style Wrong fill:#ffe5e5,stroke:#c0392b,stroke-width:2px
    style Right fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
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4. Building Your Impact Plan

An Impact Plan maps your specific role, daily tasks, and current goals across the four rings. It shows where you are now and what to do to reach the next ring for any given topic.

---
title: "The Impact Plan - Overview"
---
graph LR
    IP["Impact Plan<br/>━━━<br/>Maps your role, tasks,<br/>and goals across four rings"]
    S1["1. Set the starting point"]
    S2["2. Map the rings"]
    S3["3. Find where you are"]
    S4["4. Make it a habit"]
    IP --> S1 --> S2 --> S3 --> S4
    style IP fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
    style S1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style S2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style S3 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style S4 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
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Four steps to build your Impact Plan

  1. Set the starting point. Write down your exact details: your role, your daily work, your current goals, and current challenges.
  2. Map the rings. Ask yourself: "What does this goal look like when I expand my impact?"
    • Ring 1 (Core): How do I hit this goal in my own work?
    • Ring 2 (Team): How do I help my team hit this goal?
    • Ring 3 (Domain): How do I build systems so my whole domain hits this goal?
    • Ring 4 (Organization): How do I change how the whole company reaches this goal?
  3. Find where you are. Compare your actual work to the rings you just mapped. Look for real proof, not just intention. Find the lowest ring where you answer "No" or "partially" — that is your next focus.
  4. Make it a habit. Use this plan in your 1-on-1 meetings to talk about your growth. Check your goals every month, verify your ring progress every quarter, and update your starting point every year.
---
title: "Four Steps to Build Your Impact Plan"
---
graph LR
    Step1["Step 1 - Set the starting point<br/>━━━<br/>Write: role, daily work,<br/>current goals, challenges"]
    Step2["Step 2 - Map the rings<br/>━━━<br/>What does this goal look like<br/>at each ring level?"]
    Step3["Step 3 - Find where you are<br/>━━━<br/>Find lowest ring where<br/>answer is No or Partial"]
    Step4["Step 4 - Make it a habit<br/>━━━<br/>Use in 1-on-1s,<br/>monthly and quarterly reviews"]
    Step1 --> Step2 --> Step3 --> Step4
    Step4 -->|"Next cycle"| Step1
    style Step1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style Step2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style Step3 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style Step4 fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
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Example: Erika Mustermann, Data Engineer

1. Starting point: Writes data pipelines using Airflow.

Current goal: Improve pipeline reliability and reduce failing jobs by 20%.

2. The rings mapped:

Ring What Erika should be doing Is Erika doing this today?
Ring 1 (Core) Fixes bugs in their own pipelines so they hit 99% uptime. ✅ Yes. Erika consistently fixes their own pipelines.
Ring 2 (Team) Writes a standard error-handling guide and teaches the team, reducing team errors. ✅ Yes. Erika drafted a guide and held a team workshop.
Ring 3 (Domain) Builds an automated alerting system that the entire engineering domain uses to catch errors. ❌ No. The engineering domain is not actively using Erika's tools yet.
Ring 4 (Organization) Builds a company-wide data quality practice with automated checks, crossing departments. ❌ No.

3. Where Erika is:

Erika is strong at Ring 2 for this topic. Erika has not reached Ring 3 yet because the engineering domain is not using the new alerting system. The next clear step is to drive broader adoption of that tool.

4. Making it a habit:

Erika will bring this plan to their manager to align on driving domain-wide adoption this quarter.

---
title: "Erika's Impact Plan - Pipeline Reliability Goal"
---
graph LR
    Goal["Goal: Reduce failing jobs by 20%"]
    R1["Ring 1 - Core<br/>━━━<br/>Fix own pipelines<br/>to 99% uptime<br/>━━━<br/>Done"]
    R2["Ring 2 - Team<br/>━━━<br/>Error-handling guide<br/>and team workshop<br/>━━━<br/>Done"]
    R3["Ring 3 - Domain<br/>━━━<br/>Automated alerting for<br/>entire engineering domain<br/>━━━<br/>Not done yet"]
    R4["Ring 4 - Org<br/>━━━<br/>Company-wide data<br/>quality practice<br/>━━━<br/>Not done yet"]
    Goal --> R1 --> R2 --> R3 --> R4
    style Goal fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
    style R1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style R2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style R3 fill:#ffe5e5,stroke:#c0392b,stroke-width:2px
    style R4 fill:#ffe5e5,stroke:#c0392b,stroke-width:2px
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5. Using It Day to Day

---
title: "REM in Daily Work"
---
graph LR
    DailyWork["Your Daily Work"]
    OKR["OKRs set targets<br/>━━━<br/>What to achieve"]
    REM["REM measures reach<br/>━━━<br/>How wide your impact is"]
    Result["Focused growth<br/>with clear impact"]
    DailyWork --> OKR
    DailyWork --> REM
    OKR -->|"combined"| Result
    REM -->|"combined"| Result
    style DailyWork fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
    style OKR fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style REM fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style Result fill:#95e1d3,stroke:#16a085,stroke-width:2px
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Pairing with OKRs

Company goals like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) tell you what to achieve. The REM tells you how wide your impact should be while reaching those goals. They work best together.

  • OKRs set the target. They define the exact results you need (e.g., "Spend 15% less on infrastructure").
  • REM measures your reach. It shows how wide your impact can reach.
System Purpose Example
OKR The target "Spend 15% less on infrastructure."
Ring 1 (Core) Your impact You cut costs on your own projects.
Ring 2 (Team) Team impact You help your team cut costs together.
Ring 3 (Domain) Domain impact You write guidelines that save money across your whole department.
Ring 4 (Organization) Company impact You change how the whole company buys and manages infrastructure. 
---
title: "OKR + REM - Infrastructure Cost Example"
---
graph LR
    OBJ["OKR Target<br/>━━━<br/>Spend 15% less<br/>on infrastructure"]
    R1["Ring 1 - Core<br/>━━━<br/>Cut costs on<br/>your own projects"]
    R2["Ring 2 - Team<br/>━━━<br/>Help your team<br/>cut costs together"]
    R3["Ring 3 - Domain<br/>━━━<br/>Write guidelines that save<br/>money across the department"]
    R4["Ring 4 - Org<br/>━━━<br/>Change how the whole company<br/>manages infrastructure"]
    OBJ --> R1 --> R2 --> R3 --> R4
    style OBJ fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
    style R1 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style R2 fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style R3 fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style R4 fill:#f38181,stroke:#e74c3c,stroke-width:2px
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A regular review rhythm

  • Monthly: Check your current goals against your Impact Plan.
  • Quarterly: Verify your ring progress for each topic and update your next steps.
  • Yearly: Revisit your starting point. Have your role or goals changed?
---
title: "Regular Review Rhythm"
---
graph LR
    Monthly["Monthly<br/>━━━<br/>Check current goals<br/>against Impact Plan"]
    Quarterly["Quarterly<br/>━━━<br/>Verify ring progress<br/>and update next steps"]
    Yearly["Yearly<br/>━━━<br/>Revisit starting point<br/>Has role or goal changed?"]
    Monthly -->|"every 3 months"| Quarterly
    Quarterly -->|"every 4 quarters"| Yearly
    Yearly -->|"reset cycle"| Monthly
    style Monthly fill:#e5ffe5,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    style Quarterly fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f57f17,stroke-width:2px
    style Yearly fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:2px
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6. Reference

Common questions

Q: Do I need to finish every task in a ring before moving up?

A: No. You can work on multiple topics at different rings at the same time. Moving up means you are consistently showing the required impact for a specific topic at that ring.

Q: What if my job does not fit these rings exactly?

A: These rings are examples, not strict rules. Change the descriptions so they fit your exact role.

Q: How long should I stay at each ring?

A: There is no set time. Moving up depends on the work available, how complex the work is, and the results you can clearly show.

Q: What if I think my ring should be higher?

A: Show proof. Bring clear numbers and facts showing you have been doing the work of the higher ring consistently for at least 3 to 6 months.

Glossary

Term Definition
Ripple Effect Model (REM) A four-ring model showing how career impact grows from Core to Organization.
Impact Plan A personal four-step growth plan built using your exact role, daily tasks, and goals.
Ring One of four growth stages: Core, Team, Domain, Organization. Each ring builds on the last.
Clear proof A specific result with a real number attached to it.
OKR (Objective and Key Result) A goal-setting format that defines a target and the results that show you hit it. Used alongside the REM to connect your growth to company goals.

Writing and phrasing guidelines

To keep this document — and all future REM materials — easy to read, follow these rules when writing or editing.

  1. Use simple, direct sentences. Write as if you are explaining something to someone on their first week at work. Keep sentences short and active.

    • Avoid: "It provides a practical guide for individuals to leverage the REM as a tool for deepening impact."
    • Use: "You can use this guide to grow your skills and make a bigger impact."

  2. Break complex ideas into smaller pieces. If an idea has multiple steps or concepts, split it into separate sentences or bullet points. Do not pack too many ideas into one sentence.

  3. Remove jargon. Replace dense or buzzword-heavy phrases with plain language.

    • Avoid: "multiplying strategic impact," "executing discrete deliverables," "radius of influence," "driving cross-functional alignment."
    • Use: "helping your whole company succeed," "doing your own tasks," "how far your work reaches," "working with other teams."

  4. Use formatting to help readers scan. Use bold for key terms on first use. Use numbered lists for steps and bullet points for grouped items. Keep paragraphs short — two to three sentences at most.

  5. Write for people, not for processes. This document is for real people trying to grow. Avoid language that sounds like a policy manual or a performance review form.

    • Avoid: "Upon demonstration of requisite competencies at the designated maturity tier..."
    • Use: "Once you can consistently show the skills needed at this ring..."

  6. Use second person ("you") throughout. Address the reader directly. Avoid passive voice and third-person abstractions.

    • Avoid: "Employees are expected to demonstrate impact at their current ring."
    • Use: "Show your impact at your current ring before moving to the next."