Impact Players

Making a difference in your work.

If you’re interesting in more about this, Liz Wiseman’s fascinating book on the subject can be found here.

Many of us want to one day lead an organisation or at least be respected for making a difference and improving where we work. The traditional logic has always been “to do a good job, “be a contributor”, “don’t rock the boat” and you’ll go far. New research from Liz Wiseman presents a framework for thinking about how some people (and in my experience it’s usually obvious who they are) seem to do more than contribute. Some seem to be on an unwritten fast track. She calls these people the “Impact Players”.

[The following material is taken from her book and other print and video interviews she’s done recently]

What are ways that well-meaning professionals dilute their impact?

“Many professionals who miss the mark are well intentioned but misguided. They are smart, talented people who are working hard and trying hard, but they aren’t having the impact they (and their leaders) are seeking. In many ways they are under-contributing because they are over-contributing.

For example, some are working hard, but they are not focusing their efforts in the right direction. Others are over eager. They are trying too hard and playing too big. Their focus is on themselves and their advancement, rather than allowing their reputation to develop authentically as a natural by-product of the value they create. Some get tripped up because they are playing by the rules and following the process and guidelines of the organization.

The result is that their work gets mired in the bureaucracy. Finally, some are missing opportunities to contribute to the most important work because they are shying away from ambiguity and the uncertainty that often comes with high-stakes situations or new initiatives or changes in direction.

Whether it’s working too hard, or trying too hard, or playing by the rules or playing it safe, the important idea here is that we can end up under-contributing by doing great, but irrelevant work.”

So what’s the difference between them and everyone else?

Contributors are great. Every boss loves contributors, but they are great in ordinary times. But when messy problems are appearing all over the place, just doing your job doesn’t cut it. Or when roles are unclear, most people tend to wait for direction.

Difference 1: Contributors do their job, Impact Players do the job that’s needed

Impact Players understand that in these messy situations, the roles and rules are always going to be unclear and rather than wait for clarification they move to fill the leadership vacuum. But an interesting observation from her research is that they step up to take the lead but are then willing to step back, to relinquish the authority they assumed. Willing to lead but also to follow their colleagues.

Difference 2: Contributors wait for directions, Impact Players step up and then step back

Contributors identify issues and raise them to the relevant authority to deal with. Impact Players take ownership of the situation and build a team to tackle it. They ask for help, but they don’t just hand the problem back to the senior leader, sticking with the problem till it’s done.

Difference 3: Contributors escalate issues, Impact Players finish stronger

In an ever changing environment, adapt and adjust to an ever moving goal. Ask for feedback before it’s needed, assume you’re always off-target. Like solving a novel problem, the right solution is always elusive.

Difference 4: Contributors stick to what they know best, Impact Players ask and adjust

Don’t wait for instruction, are easy to work with, understanding everyone else’s workloads and not creating a “phantom workload” where everyone has to work harder just to deal with you.

Difference 5: Contributors add to the burden, Impact Players make work light

“Here’s the key point: these behaviours are important, but real value comes from the always factor. If someone always performs well, their leader can fully unload responsibilities without worry. If someone delivers only most of the time, the manager still has to worry all the time, which means managers have to continually check on people's work.

Impact Players deliver with such consistency that it, essentially, creates a performance guarantee that their leaders and colleagues count on. Thus, Impact Players get handed the most visible opportunities and they aren’t micromanaged by their bosses. 

As more people operate with this “performance guarantee” the organization becomes more performance focused. Leaders can then provide the right targets, and contributors can figure out the most effective and efficient way to hit those targets.”