LEADERSHIP
Joya wanted a better life , so she kept volunteering for the hard jobs and taking care of the responsibilities she was entrusted with . In college , she worked multiple jobs simultaneously but still offered to take the extra shifts no one wanted . While working at Target in overnight stocking , her colleagues would show relief when the night ’ s shipment was small saying , “ It ’ s a small truck . It can be an easy night .” Joya would unload the truck and then offer to do more . Her initiative led to promotions and quickly became a mindset , “ If I raise my hand , I will be rewarded .”
Joya still works for Target , currently as a store director of a high-revenue store in St . Louis , Missouri . She ’ s now financially secure but still taking responsibility for the hard jobs and using her influence to give back to her community .
Impact Players have a stewardship orientation in their work . They have a heartfelt desire to make things better — both for themselves and for others — and a willingness to take responsibility for making things happen . They are people like Betty Williams and Paul Forgey who were committed to making things in their part of the world better and who took action without being directed . Many people want change ; what distinguished these people is that they believed they had the personal power to initiate change . Their fundamental guiding belief is : I can improve this situation . Once again we see a strong sense of personal agency and the presence of an internal locus of control as driving assumptions . This inclination to fix what is perceived as wrong , change the status quo and use initiative to solve problems rather than passively accepting one ’ s environment is what psychologists refer to as a proactive personality . They are , as Stephen Covey put it , products of their decisions not products of their circumstances .
They don ’ t just believe things could or should be better ; they take action to make something better . They take charge of teams , lead others , and instigate collective action . As Tony Robbins bluntly said , “ Any idiot can point out a problem . A leader is willing to do something about it .” From our interviews with managers , it was clear the Impact Players see themselves as capable of leading , making an impact , and contributing to larger goals . Our survey confirmed these findings . Specifically , 96 % of high-impact contributors always or often take charge without waiting to be directed , compared to 20 % of typical contributors . 91 % of the Impact Players were always or often seen as good leaders . By comparison , 14 % of typical contributors were seen the same way .
This brings us to another core assumption in the Impact Player Mindset : I don ’ t need formal authority to take charge . While others are stuck in hierarchical , by-command forms of leadership , the Impact Players are practicing on-demand leadership . By-command leaders wait to be appointed from above and typically find it difficult to relinquish control when the job is done . On-demand leaders rise up when the situation summons them . They take ownership but they think and act more like temporary caretakers than permanent owners . They are willing to take the lead , but they don ’ t hold on to power longer than is needed to solve a problem .
In order to understand the role and impact these stellar professionals have on their teammates , we can look to playmakers in association football ( soccer in the U . S .). A playmaker makes important passes and puts themselves and others in position to score and win . They control the flow of the team ' s offensive play and use their vision , creativity and ball handling to orchestrate critical passing moves . These instrumental athletes can operate from a variety of positions on the field . Marta Vieira da Silva , the prolific Brazilian scorer known for her quick feet and ability to play off of her teammates , plays in a forward attacking position . Midfield winger David Beckham would find teammates making runs and deliver the ball in his signature long , curved , killer passes . Like da Silva and Beckham , playmakers often serve as team captain . But from any position , they make plays happen and are a thrill to watch and a joy to play with .
Playmakers , on the field and in the workplace , lead in bursts . Sparked by an opportunity for improvement and fueled by a belief that they can make a difference , they take charge of the field and make critical plays .
It ’ s a belief system that propels them to take responsibility . The Impact Player Mindset is the pathway to leadership because , after all , isn ’ t the very essence of leadership the desire to make something better and a willingness to do something about it ? +
Liz Wiseman is a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives around the world . She is the author of New York Times bestseller Multipliers and Wall Street Journal bestsellers Rookie Smarts and Impact Players . Liz is the CEO of The Wiseman Group , a leadership research and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley , California . Some of her recent clients include : Apple , AT & T , Coca-Cola , Disney , Google , Meta , Microsoft , Netflix , Nike , Salesforce , Tesla and X . Liz writes for Harvard Business Review , Fortune and a variety of other business and leadership journals . She is a former executive at Oracle Corporation , where she worked as the Vice President of Oracle University and as the Global Leader for Human Resource Development . Liz has received the top achievement award for leadership from Thinkers50 and has consistently been named one of the world ’ s top 50 management thinkers .
TheWisemanGroup . com
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