LEADERSHIP
TAKING CHARGE
BY LIZ WISEMAN
Managers love a good hand-off — that feeling of passing a piece of work to someone who will move it forward and get the job done . Ammar Maraqa , chief strategy officer at Splunk , described an Impact Player this way : “ He ’ s a no-look pass kind of person . I can always throw the ball to him and know he ’ ll not only catch it , but run with it and score for the team .” Players who are trusted with the ball are those who are not only in position but know what to do next – how to move forward and make a play . They are professionals who step up and do things without being asked . Ammar then described another staff member , operationally strong , but who waited to be asked before taking action , “ He couldn ’ t work independently , so I couldn ’ t count on him to catch a ball and drive it .”
When a manager sees one person in need of handholding and another ready to take the handoff , whom do they choose ? Who gets passed the high-profile assignment ? Managers generally don ’ t choose the one waiting to be told what to do ( in line with a frustration that ranks second highest for the managers we surveyed ). In many ways , managers dole out the most important work not simply to the most capable but rather to the most willing . Much like a classroom , the person that gets called on is usually the one raising their hand . Joya Lewis grew up in Muncie , Indiana , in a tough neighborhood in this struggling city , in a poor family , and without a lot of support . As a young girl she made her own breakfast , got herself ready for school , and did her homework by herself . At 15 she had her first job , washing dishes in a sandwich shop . It was hard work and she had to move fast . But there were times when she wasn ’ t busy and would notice co-workers doing other jobs who were struggling to keep up . So , she started clearing tables and sweeping floors until the dishes piled up again . The manager noticed her initiative and gave her a raise . She was delighted but shocked , saying , “ Oh , I ’ m just doing what is right and helping out .” At 15 , the first of several important connections was made : When you took on more responsibility , you made more money .”
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