Your impact increases as you shift your orientation from position holder to problem solver.

THREAT LENS VS. OPPORTUNITY LENS Impact Players tend to see opportunity where others see threat

Typically managers can articulate the more pronounced differences between their top and low performers; however, when it comes to their most influential, impactful players, the top of the top, there seems to be an ineffable quality about them. There is a certain je ne sais quoi in how they approach their jobs and an art form to the way they

Specifically, the tendency to “work outside their official job scope to solve problems or realize opportunities” was one of the top three differences between high-impact and typical contributors.

In the world of work, Contributors are like the plastic soccer players on a foosball table—well spaced but locked into position along the rod. They can spin but easily miss the action. In sharp contrast, Impact Players operate more like the best live-action midfielders, who watch for developing action and then shift up- or downfield to play where

“It’s one thing to be ‘in the room where it happens,’ but the thing about Mike is that he makes it happen no matter what room he’s in.”

Researchers have shown that perspective taking occurs naturally when we are at the low end of the power scale.

Talk up the agenda. Make the connection between your stakeholder’s agenda and the work you are doing right now. Let them know that you are the how to their what. Craft a short statement that captures how your work will help them achieve the priorities on their agenda. For example, “I’m aware that increasing customer retention is our top priority,

In contrast, Impact Players take charge of situations that lack leadership. When they see an opportunity for improvement, they don’t wait for permission to act. They step up, volunteering to lead long before higher-ups in the organization ask them to do so. They are disruptors of the status quo who choose to lead rather than let things be. They