The G.E.M. Series Episode 6 How to Become an Impact Leader Transcription

[00:00:00] Blake: Welcome to the gym series powered by rocket level. On this podcast, we empower entrepreneurs to succeed by setting big goals, executing like a pro and having a fearless mindset. The gym series is all about investing in yourself. We're here to share the path, to getting what you want out of life. By sharing the stories of entrepreneurs who have done this themselves, providing thorough research from our team on what careers and habits are yielding the best results and discussing the mindset it takes to overcome the obstacles that all future entrepreneurs will face investing in yourself.

[00:00:36] Blake: Putting in the work every single day. And this podcast is here to help you do exactly that. My name is Blake Chapman. I'm the vice president of the ambassador program here at rocket level. And I am thrilled to be your host for the gym series. Hello, and welcome to this episode of the gym series. I am your host Blake Chapman, and I am thrilled to be talking to you today about a book that I recently.

[00:01:02] Blake: So this book made a huge impact on me. I hope you don't mind the goofy pond that I'm throwing in there, but the title of the book is called impact players. How to take the lead play bigger and multiplier impact. And it's by Liz Wiseman. I thought that this book was absolutely crucial for us to go ahead and dive into because her entire employment climate has shifted to say the least over the last couple of years.

[00:01:28] Blake: A couple of years ago, everybody was losing their jobs. I'm sure that even now you're seeing that your team is changing constantly. Maybe you've switched jobs recently, everybody's working remote more frequently, a lot has changed. And with that change, a lot of opportunities have arisen where people need to become the next leaders and of their company or of their team.

[00:01:49] Blake: So. This goes over exactly what some of the common characteristics that people have to become those impact players that make a difference at their job. And isn't that what we kind of all want to be. And what we want out of a job is to be able to make a difference. The first one might be just, you know, getting fair compensation.

[00:02:07] Blake: But along with that to prevent burnout, you have to feel like you are making a true impact wherever you are, or at least that's how I feel. But you know, I've read a lot about Liz Wiseman and something that stood out that really hit the nail on the head for where we're at right now was detailed in an interview that she did with Forbes.

[00:02:27] Blake: And it says as the world gradually transitions to post pandemic realities, we need a new playbook for the workplace. Many of the necessary changes are still in development, but one thing is certain self managing employees will likely emerge as the new leaders. Nobody gets this better than, than Liz Wiseman.

[00:02:47] Blake: And just to give you a little background on Liz, she is a researcher and leadership advisor who coaches executives around the globe. Liz is listed on the thinkers, 50 ranking, and in 2019 was recognized as the top leadership thinker in the world. That's a pretty incredible accolade. If you ask me, she also works with a number of different clients, which includes some of the biggest companies in the world like apple at and T Tesla, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google.

[00:03:14] Blake: My point being there, she is really, really well qualified to be writing about what it takes to make an impact at a company. Whenever she's working with all of these different companies that have made a giant impact also on the world. In this most recent book though, she doesn't just rely on her own accolades to be able to determine, to determine what is an impact player and what is not rather, she is data driven, which.

[00:03:40] Blake: Was amazing to me. She interviewed hundreds upon hundreds of leaders in different companies that were deemed impact players by their own superiors, and then gathered up all that data to figure out what qualities do these impact players have in common. So from reading the book, listening to podcasts, listening to interviews all about the incredible Liz Wiseman.

[00:04:02] Blake: I broke it down to seven key characteristics that every impact player has in common. So I'm just going to give you the quick rundown of all of those. So the first one, an impact player, what they do is they take ownership and they get a job done without being reminded. I'm sure we all have worked with somebody that, you know, needs a couple of taps on the shoulder to get something done.

[00:04:25] Blake: I'm also sure that you've probably seen somebody be told to. Own something, and they just don't really know how to go about it. So this is something that every impact player knows how to do really well is they know how to take ownership and get a job done without being reminded. Number two, they always are able to act with integrity and do the right thing.

[00:04:47] Blake: So this may seem like total common sense to you, which is. But you know, a lot of us obviously have a really easy time leading letting our moral compass lead us through life. But then whenever it comes down to going to the workplace, maybe things get a little blurry for some people, or maybe they just don't know you know, What the right decision is.

[00:05:07] Blake: So a true impact player is able to always act with integrity and do the right thing keeping the vision of the entire company in mind and, you know, making sure that they're trusting their moral compass and thinking of the betterment of everybody around them. That is number two. Number three, is that impact players.

[00:05:28] Blake: You know, they're easy to work with likable approachable and they're positive. So this may seem. Uh, Like a little bit of a surprise for some of you. And the reason it may be a surprise is because sometimes whenever you think of impact player in your brain, you may think of somebody that is this very alpha, you know, dominating the room kind of person somebody that's not afraid to crack a few eggs to make an omellette.

[00:05:50] Blake: So to speak, but that's just not not always the best solution. And whenever it comes to impact players, that's actually not what the characteristics are. They're not this rockstar stereotypical type, rather there's somebody that is easy to work with likable, approachable and positive, and that, you know, makes a lot of sense as to why that makes them an impact.

[00:06:12] Blake: Liz explains that whenever you are, you know, somebody that people like being around naturally you build trust with all of your colleagues. People begin to see value in your ability to lift the spirits of the entire team. And also whenever you can influence other people in a positive way you, you kind of build up your workforce to be able to move forward and make a greater impact wherever you're going.

[00:06:35] Blake: So that's number three is they're easy to work with likable approachable. Number four impact players are able to learn really quickly. So. I want to say that, you know, not everybody does have this skill, obviously there's someone here that, you know, that's kind of the whole thing, right? Is every characteristic on here.

[00:06:54] Blake: You might not have every single characteristic, but this is something that every single impact player possesses is they're able to learn really quickly. And you know, a key part of learning quickly is to be able to. Develop your research skills and show initiative. Right? So if you are running into a place where you're like, I do not, you know, pick things up really quickly, I work really hard and then I do get it eventually.

[00:07:16] Blake: Why don't you just go ahead and maybe take a look at how are you getting to the answer? Are you getting to the answer yourself and just make that a common practice? That's something that I did a long time ago. Yeah. I've noticed that I've been able to learn things far more quickly from doing that versus whenever I might rely on a colleague for an answer or anything like that.

[00:07:35] Blake: So anyways, that is number four for impact players is that they're able to learn really, really quickly. Number five impact players are able to apply their strengths to the work at hand. So. The way that you're able to apply your strengths to the work at hand is by first identifying your strengths. So that's something that impact players do very, very well is they are able to identify their strengths and be really, really familiar with that.

[00:08:02] Blake: The other part of that is being able to, you know, put those into action in whatever task you're doing. So if you understand that you are well-spoken and know how to communicate effectively, maybe you're the one that steps up and says, let me lead that meeting. Maybe you're the one that you know, takes the difficult conversation that has to happen in work.

[00:08:22] Blake: That is something that impact players do really well is they know how to apply whatever their strength is, to what they're doing. And yeah, make the biggest impact number six, and this is maybe my favorite of them and something that I've taken back as a personal mantra for them, for myself, every single impact player practices saying yes, even when goals are ambiguous or beyond their sets.

[00:08:46] Blake: So Liz has coined a really amazing term for this, that I totally love Liz calls this the naive. Yes. And this means a green to a new challenge before our brain kicks in and tells us that it's not possible. So this means that to make the biggest impact, you don't have to challenge a big goal. Rather you welcome it and practice saying yes.

[00:09:08] Blake: So this is a very common. Thing that happens for anybody that goes into a job. You know, I'm sure in the interview, maybe you are, you know, you're able to jump in and say, yes, I am up for the challenge regardless of what it is. But then what kind of happens is people lose momentum. Whenever they get into their role and they stopped saying yes to the ambiguous or the, you know, really big, lofty challenges that are out there.

[00:09:35] Blake: And it's so important if you want to establish yourself as a leader or an impact player, it's important to start saying yes to these things, because no matter where you work, you're probably never going to have everything perfectly detailed. And if you do. Unfortunately, that would make sure that would make you align more with what a worker is versus what a leader is.

[00:09:56] Blake: A worker is somebody that has every single step detailed for them and can follow that really effectively, which is equally necessary. But if you are looking to make a really big difference and tackle the big challenges, you just got to start by saying yes. And that's something that Liz talks about.

[00:10:13] Blake: She also references Richard Branson describing this attitude when he said, if somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, but you're not sure you can do it say yes, then learn how to do it later. This was all massively affirming for me. And you know, it told me that it is a good practice to lean in and welcome challenges with excitement rather than to shut them down and not even consider trying to fix a problem or make something happen.

[00:10:43] Blake: It's to take it on wholeheartedly the naive. Yes. So number seven, the final of the different characteristics that all impact players possess. Impacts players are always looking around the corner impact players. Obviously can't tell the future, but they are constantly anticipating new opportunities or challenges that are lurking around the corner.

[00:11:04] Blake: Liz actually says that the problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise. And thinking that having problems is a problem. So impact players, aren't just sitting here worrying about the sky falling or anything like that. But what they are doing is they are considering every possible scenario.

[00:11:22] Blake: That's out there. They're planning ahead so that whenever a problem does arise, they already have an action plan. They are not going to be the one sitting there twiddling their thumbs or scrambling to figure out a solution because they had not anticipated that. So that's something that we all can put into place is think of all of the different scenarios that can happen.

[00:11:41] Blake: Welcome them by coming up with an action. Plan the work and then work the plan. Right. But that is that's number seven. Liz takes all of this a step further by explaining what the distinction might be between a good and great impact player. And it comes down to what Liz calls, the always factor.

[00:12:04] Blake: And that means that li that means that Liz is saying that each of these impact players will always do these seven things consistently. That's the always factor. They are always showing up and taking ownership of getting a job without being. Acting with integrity and doing the right thing, being easy to work with likable, approachable and positive, they're able to learn quickly consistently.

[00:12:28] Blake: There are, are able to always apply their strengths to the work at hand. They are always practicing that naive. Yes. And they're always looking around the corner and what's really cool about this is that whenever you practice these, these things always this means that as an impact player, your leaders and team can count on a performance guarantee.

[00:12:46] Blake: Because of your consistency. So another big question that got brought up for me as I was looking through this and from other interviews that I thought was really, really important is what behaviors do impact players practice that make the biggest contribution to an organization. And Liz breaks it down to two master skills at the root of every impact.

[00:13:08] Blake: The first is changing your perspective, which involves getting out of your own head and perceiving situations and issues from another person's point of view, the second is changing your lens, and this involves seeing opportunity rather than threat and ambiguous and uncertain situations. These skills help people understand where and how to create value and make a real impact in otherwise chaotic situations.

[00:13:33] Blake: Take all of this into consideration. And let's flip the script for a second. Where do you think maybe well-intentioned people miss the mark? What about all the people that aren't impact players, but they're working so hard and they're so talented and brilliant. What might be getting in the way? So Liz actually breaks that down to three things that might be getting in your way from becoming an impact player.

[00:13:55] Blake: The first one is. They are focused on personal advancement or development versus allowing their reputation to develop authentically as a natural byproduct of the value that they create too. They are fully absorbed by the rules and what they know is comfortable, not daring to go into ambiguous or uncertain territory and three, they are overworking and not putting their efforts towards the betterment of the entire team and therefore end up missing the mark.

[00:14:21] Blake: So. Whenever you look at all of this, you see a few common trends. You see that impact players are constantly considering the full agenda of, you know, whoever their leader is or their company, and making sure that all of their efforts are going to the betterment of the entire company versus themselves.

[00:14:40] Blake: And you know, they are always. Stepping into the ambiguous or the murky waters and showing up confidently saying, I maybe don't know exactly how to solve it, but I'm going to just go ahead and say yes, and I'm going to figure it out and bringing that confidence. That is what people are looking for.

[00:14:58] Blake: That is what the common characteristics of an impact player are. And that's what takes a lot of people to the next step. It's important to look in the mirror, consider, you know, where do you stand with all of these different characteristics? And is there any place, if any, where you could tweak a few things and get even better results for yourself?

[00:15:17] Blake: It's important to think about that is everything that I have today. I greatly appreciate your time and I highly encourage everybody to check out Liz Wiseman's book. It is called impact players. How to take the lead play bigger and multiplier impact. That is everything. Thank you for tuning in and until next time.

[00:15:35] Blake: Bye.

[00:15:39] Blake: Thank you for joining us on this episode of the gem series, the podcast for anybody dedicated to investing in themselves, stay tuned for our next episode and look in the links below for resources that you can use for yourself until next time. This is Blake Chapman, and remember to be awesome and do awesome things.