PDF Summary:Impact Players, by Liz Wiseman

Have you ever wondered why some employees can have a big impact at work, while others who work just as hard struggle to stand out? In Impact Players, Liz Wiseman refers to star employees as impact players—people who perform at their highest capacity and know how to make themselves valuable in their workplace. Her research reveals that many smart, talented individuals fall short of their potential because they don’t know how to better contribute. The good news is: By making small changes to your habits and mindset, you can become an impact player yourself, get more praise for your work, and make a bigger difference at your job.

In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of becoming an impact player, the mindset that makes impact players valuable, and habits you can adopt to increase your impact. Throughout, we’ll compare Wiseman’s research with insights from other experts and provide actionable tips that can help you adopt high-impact habits.

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To make the greatest impact, you should not only look beyond your job title but also your personal interests. Wiseman writes that impact players develop a passion for the work they have to do instead of doing only what they’re personally passionate about. She argues that the belief that following your personal passions leads to happiness at work is flawed—passions evolve and aren’t things that can be discovered through introspection. Instead, adapt your motivations to the needs of the organization and learn to love the work you have to do. This way, you can make meaningful contributions to your company and feel proud of your accomplishments which, in the end, leads to greater feelings of satisfaction.

(Shortform note: In Grit, Duckworth suggests you develop not just passion for your work but also a sense of purpose. She explains that purpose, or the desire to increase others’ well-being, helps your passion last over time. Without purpose, it can be hard to maintain your passion for long. Duckworth suggests three ways to develop purpose for your current work: First, reflect on how your work is making the world a better place. Second, think of how you can adjust your work practices to align more with your core interests and values. Third, find inspiration from a role model who’s devoted to serving others.)

To identify the critical needs of your organization and get involved, Wiseman suggests the following steps:

1) Identify broader organizational goals. To enhance your impact, you should always be working on your organization’s top priorities. Wiseman writes that these priorities change frequently and aren’t usually broadcasted in obvious ways, so regularly reach out to your team and your superiors to stay in the loop. To decide which goal to address first, identify your superior’s top three priorities and your organization’s top three priorities. Then, find where they intersect. For instance, if both your boss and your organization view team skill development as a priority, you might decide to contribute to a project that focuses on this.

(Shortform note: Administrative assistants share some more methods for staying informed about your organization’s priorities, apart from checking in regularly with your team and superiors. If your superior’s calendar and documents are public, review them regularly to get an idea of their priorities. You could also keep up with your superior’s emails or social media, as these channels can reveal their priorities or broader organizational trends. If possible, you could even attend your superior’s meetings by offering to take notes, for instance.)

2) Determine how you can contribute. Reflect on how your distinct skills can contribute to higher-level goals. For example, if you're tech-savvy, you might offer to improve a software tool for training new team members.

(Shortform note: In The Effective Executive, Peter F. Drucker suggests you not only consider how to best use your distinct skills, but that you also consider how to maximize your boss’s skills. Helping your boss make better use of their skills makes them more successful, which is good for your success, too: They become better mentors and can better support your professional interests. To maximize your boss’s skills, understand how they best process information and then present issues in their preferred way. This allows them to apply their strengths to find a solution. For example, if your boss processes information better by reading rather than by listening, provide them with detailed written reports.)

3) Share your plans. Wiseman suggests you write a brief statement about how you can help your superior and your organization achieve their priorities. Your superior will appreciate knowing how your contributions fit into larger goals and that you’ll continue to do your regular tasks well.

(Shortform note: While as an employee, it’s good to proactively communicate your plans to contribute, Drucker argues that it’s the superior’s responsibility to get their employees to talk about their contributions. He suggests that superiors first share their own contributions and results and then ask employees to share the contributions they plan to make to create a productive two-way conversation.)

Habit #2: Take the Lead

According to Wiseman, another habit that increases impact is assuming informal leadership roles when necessary: Impact players take charge of issues that no one else handles and then step back once they’re resolved.

(Shortform note: Before taking charge of issues, make sure that you have the bandwidth to handle them. In The Success Principles, Jack Canfield argues that it’s better to be selective about the commitments you take on and to know when to say “no,” rather than committing to tasks you can’t deliver on. Failing to deliver on your commitments can cause you to lose the trust and respect of others. If you’re unable to do something you’ve agreed to handle, tell the other person as soon as possible.)

Wiseman writes that many workplaces have persistent minor problems that everyone complains about but no one addresses. These problems often go unresolved because they’re seen as irritating but not urgent enough to devote effort to. Wiseman argues that although these problems are easy to disregard, they disrupt the productivity and effectiveness of your team over time. For example, disorganized documents can cost your team valuable time looking for and accessing information.

(Shortform note: People often hesitate to take charge of unowned issues because of the bystander effect: Each person in a group thinks someone else will solve a problem, so no one does anything. This happens for mainly two reasons: First, when other people are also experiencing the issue, people feel less personally responsible for handling it. Second, people naturally look at what others are doing to decide how they themselves should act, so when everyone is ignoring the issue, they reason that it’s best to do the same.)

To boost your impact, says Wiseman, look for situations where leadership is absent and where you can step in and make a positive difference. Once you identify an unresolved issue, gather a team to resolve it. This means you’ll lead a team but without a formal title. To do this effectively, Wiseman recommends you:

1) Ask for your coworkers’ support. Clearly state the problem so that everyone’s on the same page, express your goal, and explain how achieving it will help everyone. Work on building trust and good relationships with your coworkers so they’ll be likely to support you when needed.

2) Adopt good leadership traits. Look at the values of your boss or organization and strive to incorporate them so people will respect and follow you.

3) Respect people’s time and effort. When you enlist people’s help, make sure you use it wisely. People will be more enthusiastic to join you if they trust that you won’t waste their time and energy.

4) Share the credit. Once your team has solved the problem, step down and encourage others to take the lead when needed. This approach will boost everyone’s confidence, encourage more people to take initiative, and enhance your impact and the team's ongoing success.

Additional Tips for Leading Without Formal Authority

Leading without a formal title can be a daunting task. Other experts provide additional tips for gaining respect and helping others feel comfortable working under your leadership.

1) Define the goal with the team. Wiseman recommends clearly expressing your goal, but other experts suggest you get the entire team involved in defining the goal. This way, people feel more committed to and responsible for it. Also, let team members choose what they work on so they can take on tasks most suited to their skills.

2) Be mindful of your body language. As the leader, you’re responsible for setting the group environment. So, in addition to practicing good leadership traits, make sure your body language gives off positive, welcoming cues so team members feel comfortable contributing.

3) Recognize others’ value and expertise. Wiseman recommends respecting people’s time and effort, but she doesn’t elaborate on how to do so. Instead of positioning yourself as an all-knowing leader, ask others to share their expertise.

4) Get feedback. Once the project’s complete, ask for feedback on people’s experiences with the project and your management style. This will help you know not only how to lead better next time but also how to support others when it’s their turn to lead.

Habit #3: Embrace Feedback

Wiseman writes that impact players look for feedback instead of praise. They recognize that feedback isn’t a personal attack, but a way to help them improve. In contrast, non-impact players avoid or ignore feedback because it hurts their ego. Instead, they only seek out and listen to validation. However, it’s feedback—not praise—that can help you adjust and correct your actions, so when workers ignore feedback, they stop growing and improving, and thus they limit their potential.

(Shortform note: In Thanks for the Feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen explain that it’s hard for us to receive feedback because feedback can trigger emotional responses. Usually, we react negatively when we think feedback is wrong or unfair, when we have a problem with the person who’s giving us the feedback rather than the content itself, and when feedback threatens our sense of self.)

Wiseman argues that prioritizing validation over guidance leads to impact-reducing behaviors. It can cause you to stick only to your strengths and to not try to improve weaknesses. Additionally, you may check in too frequently with your manager to get validation for your work to the point where it becomes burdensome for them.

Wiseman suggests several ways you can view feedback in a more positive light:

1) Separate your work from your sense of self. Recognize that your work doesn’t define your value as an individual. For example, making a mistake on a task doesn’t make you a failure.

2) Gain some distance from it. If you’re finding it hard to accept some feedback, take a break—for example, go for a walk. This gives you space to calm your emotions and helps you open your mind to making changes.

3) Make small changes to your behavior. Try to implement one piece of feedback at a time because small changes are easier to make, and they can have a big impact. When you make these changes, communicate your progress: Let your manager or your mentors know how their feedback has helped you and what you’ve achieved as a result. Doing so encourages people to continue investing in you.

Ask and Listen to Feedback Effectively

While Wiseman suggests ways you can better incorporate feedback, she doesn’t elaborate on how you can proactively ask for feedback in the first place.

In The Oz Principle, the authors say that others will only provide useful feedback if they feel safe to share their honest feelings with you. You can do this by letting them know you’re looking for the truth, explain why you want feedback, and be specific with your questions—for example, instead of asking what you’re doing wrong, you might ask how you can improve your communication style.

Once you’ve requested feedback, you must then listen and respond to it well. In Thanks for the Feedback, Stone and Heen lay out how to hold a feedback conversation:

Listen: Be mindful of your internal voice while listening and ensure that your thoughts don’t drown out the other person’s words. Following Wiseman’s advice to separate your work from your sense of self can help you quiet your internal voice. While listening, let the feedback giver know you’re listening to them by asking focused information-seeking questions.

Clarify: To be able to make small changes to your behavior, make sure you know how to follow the feedback giver’s advice. Ask for specific details—for example, if you’re discussing how to give a better speech, ask for specifics, such as what makes a speech great. You should also clarify the consequences of not applying the feedback, as well as the expectations of the feedback giver.

Share your insights: Share your own observations, interpretations, and feelings so that you’re both on the same page.

Diagnose, describe, and propose: As the other person gives you feedback, try to diagnose and describe problems as they come up during the conversation. Then, propose solutions in real time. This helps you process what the feedback giver is saying instead of reacting to their words emotionally.

Finally, if you still have trouble taking in feedback, you may find additional benefits to following Wiseman’s advice of gaining distance from it: In Peak Performance, Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness add that taking short walks increases your creativity. Thus, gaining some distance from feedback may help you view the situation from a different angle and come up with creative ways to apply the feedback.

Habit #4: Finish What You Start

Wiseman argues that another key habit of impact players is that they take ownership of their work and see it to completion, regardless of challenges that come up along the way. Managers can rely on these workers to deliver consistent, quality results without needing constant reminders or supervision.

Wiseman explains that when challenges arise, most workers tend to avoid or deflect them. They alert others about the issue so that someone else can handle it. Impact players, on the other hand, stick with the task and tackle the problems themselves. Wiseman identifies two characteristics that help impact players to face these unexpected challenges head-on: resilience (the ability to recover from setbacks) and grit (the determination to do the work necessary to reach a goal).

(Shortform note: Even if you have resilience and grit, you may still find it hard to finish tasks if you’re too perfectionistic. In Linchpin, Seth Godin says that perfectionism can prevent you from completing a project because you may be reluctant to finalize something that might have errors. He further argues that perfect work is actually a bad thing—it means you weren’t being innovative enough. To combat perfectionism and see projects to completion, Godin recommends you set deadlines for every project and release it into the world when the deadline arrives, even if it still has flaws.)

To prepare yourself to handle unexpected challenges, Wiseman suggests several strategies:

1) Recruit a lookout. Ask a coworker to keep an eye on any weaknesses or potential threats you may face as you work. Getting a different perspective can help you anticipate potential challenges on the horizon. At the same time, be willing to do the same for them. By preparing for possible problems, you can focus all your effort on finding prompt, innovative solutions.

(Shortform note: Teaming up with others to identify potential challenges is a common tactic used by people who are good at predicting the future. In Superforecasting, Dan Gardner explains that groups tend to make more accurate judgments than individuals. Thus, it may be helpful to not only share information with one coworker but to consult many sources and use various tools to get a better picture of the future and potential challenges.)

2) Ask for what you need. Anticipate possible obstacles early and clearly communicate to your boss and your team what you’ll need for success from the very beginning. This way, you secure the resources and support to overcome challenges before they arise.

(Shortform note: In The Success Principles, Canfield recommends you specify three things when making requests from others: behavior, time, and money. Describe exactly what you need someone to do, the time you’d like it to be done by, and, if you’re requesting money, the specific amount you need. Making specific requests prevents misunderstandings and ensures you get the support you need.)

3) Know when to let go. Regularly assess the pros and cons of continuing with a task, recognize when a project is draining more resources and energy than it's worth, and have the courage to let it go.

(Shortform note: It can be hard to let go of projects because of the sunk cost fallacy—the tendency to want to continue working on a project because you’ve already invested considerable time, resources, and energy into it. In The Voltage Effect, John A. List agrees you should let go of failing projects, recommending you do so as soon as possible to minimize losses. To decide whether to let go of a project, consider other ways you could spend the resources you’ve allocated for that project. If it seems like those resources would be more useful for other ideas or projects, it’s probably best to move on.)

Habit #5: Make Work Easier for Others

Wiseman writes that impact players understand they’re part of a team, not just individuals working alone, so they strive to make work better for everyone. In contrast, low-impact workers often add a burden to their teammates. They may do this unknowingly, by, for example, being overly negative or asking for help but rarely offering it.

When you make work easier for others, you’re seen as a more valuable contributor. Wiseman suggests you create a more positive workplace by:

1) Being low maintenance. Be easy to work with and avoid getting involved in office drama and other burdensome behaviors like wasting people’s time, complaining, or trying to show off. Wiseman suggests you be selective about your contributions—double check that your ideas are important, unique, and evidence-based ideas before sharing them.

(Shortform note: Be careful that your desire to make work better for everyone and to be low maintenance doesn’t morph into people pleasing. In How Women Rise, Helgesen and Goldsmith say that women tend to focus too much on pleasing others to the detriment of their own needs and careers. This focus can cause them to be over-accommodating—downplaying their emotions, struggling to refuse requests, and failing to find solutions because they’re trying to make everyone happy. They may also hesitate to ask their social networks for help to advance their careers for fear of seeming selfish or manipulative.)

2) Lessening the workload. Be willing to help others when needed, resolve conflicts instead of initiating them, and try to make tasks simpler for others. To do this, Wiseman suggests you learn what your natural strengths are and use them to improve everyone’s work experience. For example, if you have strong communication skills, you can use them to promote open dialogue and collaboration within the team.

(Shortform note: When you help lessen others’ workload, it may be a good idea to also make others aware of how you’re contributing, especially if you’re a woman. In Lean In, Sandberg writes that the contributions of women tend to go more unnoticed than those of their male counterparts—a phenomenon she refers to as the “gender discount problem.” She explains that society expects women to be agreeable and cooperative. Because of this, when women take on extra responsibilities, others are less likely to reciprocate the favor. At the same time, if women appear too busy, others see them as unhelpful and penalize them.)

3) Making things fun. Make the workspace a nice place to be in by using humor and appreciating others. Bringing more positivity to work strengthens the team’s relationships, boosts engagement, and makes people more resilient to challenges.

(Shortform note: One study shows why fun matters in the workplace, finding that employees from every generation consider fun to be the biggest driver of well-being at work. Workers who have fun on the job are 190% to 220% more likely to have higher well-being than those who don’t experience fun in the workplace.)

How to Build a Team of Impact Players

Now that we’ve discussed the mindsets and habits that help workers make the greatest impact in their organization, let’s explore ways leaders can nurture a team of impact players. To create a high-impact team, you must create an environment where people feel safe to try new things and stretch their capabilities.

(Shortform note: In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek says you can create an environment where employees feel safe to challenge themselves by prioritizing their needs—making them feel you’re invested in their success. By doing so, you’ll forge an empathetic connection with them and help them feel that you see them as people rather than mere profit-generating assets. They’ll then feel safe to innovate and challenge themselves.)

Wiseman describes a couple of ways leaders can foster a high-impact team:

1) Be clear about top priorities: Team members may want to contribute more, but they may not know what’s valuable to the team and the organization. Telling your team what’s most important helps them put their time and effort into the right tasks.

(Shortform note: In No Rules Rules, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recommends you go a step beyond sharing top priorities and that you also make sensitive data available to all employees. This includes profit and loss statements and other financial documents. He explains that doing so builds trust, boosts a feeling of ownership, and empowers employees to make the best decisions for the company.)

2) Encourage flexible leadership: Encourage people to take initiative when needed and to provide support when their coworkers lead.

(Shortform note: Some experts suggest that people are less likely to take initiative if they view leadership as risky. To encourage flexible leadership, try to make leadership feel less daunting—for instance, by sharing mistakes you’ve made as a leader. You can also address some common fears that hold people back from taking the lead—like appearing bossy, standing out, or seeming underqualified.)

3) Ask for commitment: Encourage team members to take responsibility for their work and to persevere until it’s finished.

(Shortform note: In The 4 Disciplines of Execution, Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey recommend you make your requests for commitment precise and regularly scheduled. Consider holding a short meeting where everyone 1) reports on their last week’s commitments and outcomes, 2) assesses metrics and celebrates successes, and 3) makes new commitments for the next week. Commitments should be specific and not contain vague language like “focus on” or “work on.”)

4) Focus feedback on the work, not the person: Feedback should help your team improve, not feel attacked. This way, team members can acknowledge and work on their weaknesses without feeling insecure.

(Shortform note: To focus feedback on the work instead of the person, Kim Scott, in Radical Candor, recommends you frame your feedback around three things: the situation, the person’s behavior, and the outcome. She adds that when you have feedback, you should give it immediately so people have context and concrete examples to work off of. If your feedback is critical, give it in private to help people feel more secure.)

5) Praise good work and behavior: Recognize team members who set a great example. Highlighting positive actions helps people see ways to contribute value that they may not have realized before and encourages everyone to do better.

(Shortform note: In Tiny Habits, BJ Fogg says celebrating good habits (both yours and others’) reinforces them. You can celebrate with triumphant physical movements, words, songs, sound effects, or visualizations. Celebrating taps into your brain's reward system, and when you feel good, your brain reinforces the actions you performed to elicit that good feeling. To get the best habit-encoding results, celebrate immediately and authentically.)

6) Make sure everyone on your team feels valued. Help every team member feel like their contributions are seen and appreciated, no matter their role. When people feel valued, they look for more ways to contribute value. Make a special effort to listen to team members who aren't usually in the spotlight or who might not speak up.

(Shortform note: People feel appreciated in different ways. Because of this, some experts suggest using the five love languages as guidance for expressing appreciation for your team members at work. These include words of affirmation (such as verbally expressing approval or gratitude), quality time (which may be as simple as giving people your full attention), acts of service (like helping someone out with a task), gifts (for example, bringing food for people to enjoy), and appropriate physical touch (such as a high five or a fist bump). Considering different ways to express appreciation can ensure all team members feel valued.)