Are you wearing your opportunity goggles?

The problem with listening to Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead podcast when driving is that you can’t pause it and take notes…thankfully, it was just as enjoyable to listen to the 2nd time around. Why did I listen to it again? I really enjoyed their conversation about ‘impact players’ and felt compelled to share a summary (and my thoughts) because there was so much there that might benefit some of you.

Brené talked to Liz Wiseman, author, researcher, and executive adviser about her latest book, Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact. Liz’s global research has investigated what ‘impact players’ look like, what sets them apart, and how they contribute.

I couldn’t help but wonder: how many of these attributes do I display? Which do I lack? Which do I need to improve? Does this research support my own experiences in the workplace? (Yes). Can I take her advice and grow those characteristics to make my own work more fulfilling? (Hopefully).

The podcast is 1:09 and I really recommend you listen* to it yourself because there’s so much more than I’ve noted here. If you do listen and have other thoughts and takeaways let me know!

*It’s available exclusively on Spotify.

People come to work wanting to contribute all that they have – people want to be part of a team and work towards something meaningful but so often leaders / other obstacles / or they themselves get in the way and that lack of contribution causes pain. They go so far as to name grief and exhaustion as other emotions people might feel when they’re not seen or heard at work.

This bit spoke to me and I am sure we have all felt it at one point - have you been busy but bored? Have you been working hard but feeling under-utilised? You’re super busy but you’re not using your skills and talents? Working in a role where you’re not able to shine? This will leave you not only frustrated but exhausted. It’s exhausting/draining to have your contribution capped because contribution is exhilarating (says Brené). Meaningful contributions feel great, good work can even be a thrill! My mind then goes to anyone working in this kind of role throughout a pandemic = double exhaustion. Do you identify with this? Do you see it in any of your team?

What is an ‘impact player’? People who are standout contributors, not only make valuable contributions and do great work, but they make the whole team better. By being aware of the behaviours and mindsets we can recognise them, learn them, become them – we can appreciate and value them (in ourselves and in others).

The chances are you’ll know your ‘impact players’, but can you put your finger on why? These eight traits were identified as what sets them apart from the rest:

1.??????Present

2.??????Open

3.??????Flexible

4.??????Curious

5.??????Ready to ask and adjust

6.??????Ready to take action

7.??????Ready to make themselves useful

8.??????They make work light for everyone (easy to work with/low maintenance)

In addition, rather than waiting to be led – they do a lot of the leader’s job for them, not to take over – but to self-manage. They’re observant of what’s important and don’t hesitate to step in, which leaders appreciate as it frees them up to lead and not manage, and that’s great for the employee as let’s face it, no one really wants to be managed (as some of my previous bosses will attest ??)

If you want to continue to be managed, continue:

·??????Taking ownership but rarely seeing things through

·??????Doing your part but without awareness of the bigger picture

·??????Pulling your weight in the team, but don’t look for opportunities to help beyond your role

·??????Waiting to be asked to do something before just doing it

·??????Bringing problems not solutions

Does any of this sound familiar? If this is you, maybe that’s why you’ve been looked over for that promotion? Is it a colleague or a direct report? Being able to identify these means we can also be aware of the opposites that manoeuvre us towards being an ‘impact player’.

?? Top 6 (of the identified 15) things that bosses HATE / how to p* off your boss:

1.??????Bring problems not solutions

2.??????Always wait to be told what to do

3.??????Make them have to remind you

4.??????You worry about nothing other than your own role

5.??????Ask about promotions/pay rises (this is a tricky one as we have some D&I sensitivities to consider here)

6.??????Send over long emails

?? Top 5 things that bosses LOVE:

1.??????Be proactive – don’t wait to be asked

2.??????Anticipate problems and have a plan

3.??????Help your teammates / be a deputy

4.??????Go the extra mile / do a little extra

5.??????Ask good questions – be curious

Impact players wear opportunity googles and approach ambiguous situations/ situations they can’t control directly and sensibly. They step into grey areas and rather than sticking to the bullets on their job spec, they get stuck into the job that needs to be done. They don’t work within a restricted space and instead fully embrace an expanded range. They make themselves useful! They know what’s important to their boss and they make it important to them. Their ability to observe opportunities that add value, even if it’s by doing something they’re not too keen on, is what sets them apart.

3 situations where impact players tend to think differently:

1.??????In the middle of a messy problem

2.??????Where is a lack of clarity around roles (impact players don’t sit and wait for clarity, they step up and seize the opportunity). Brené calls this “Grounded Confidence” when someone can step up and lead but know when to step down i.e. when someone else would be better placed to do it

3.??????When handed unreasonable challenges – they don’t hand them back up the chain when the going gets tough

?Liz’s data showed there was an even split across gender, age ranges, and ethnicity – great news! But let’s be aware that how they are seen and recognised is subject to the bias of the leaders. Take this as a reminder that there are great people in your teams having an impact, but you may not be seeing or hearing it.

Make it a priority to create safe environments for people to be seen and heard. Are you open to contribution or just thinking you are? If you’re complaining your team doesn’t contribute, the reason won’t be that they don’t want to. Observe the environment and be aware of the role you play in that. Are you approaching them with positive regard? Are you suffering from your own low expectations? Expectations Theory states that the more you expect from the people, the more they will deliver – you aim low, you get low. Psychological safety is critical for contribution and great leaders create an equilibrium between the two forces of safety and stretch. In the Liberating Leadership programme, we call this ‘High challenge / High support’. Defined as ‘challenge in the sense that they have high standards and expectations about what can be achieved, Support in the sense that they care about their people’s success and put themselves out to bring it about’.

Hopefully, this summary has provided some food for thought, let me know!