Listened CM 211: Liz Wiseman on Standing Out at Work from gayleallen.net

If someone asked what they should do to succeed in their job, you’d probably have a quick response. You might say something like, just do what you’re asked, get your work done on time, or don’t step on anyone’s toes.

But what if the question wasn’t about how to succeed, but how to stand out as the best of the best?

These are the high performers Liz Wiseman calls “impact players.” They’re the ones who leave an indelible mark on their work and the people around them. Liz spoke with nearly 200 top professionals, and she uncovered 5 behaviors that set them apart. Her findings inform her latest book, Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact.

In a conversation with Gayle Allen, Liz Wiseman talks about her new book Impact Players. According to Wiseman, impact players look to how they can make a difference, rather than just play a roll. Most people aspire to make a difference and have a contribution. She shares five characteristics of an impact player:

• Useful – what’s important now
• Step up and step back – leading without it being a land grab
• Finish strong
• Ask and adjust
• Make work light – removing the phantom work

Allen and Wiseman discuss the questions to consider when trying to hire an impact player:

• How do they handle messy problems?
• Leadership problems?
• Roadblocks?
• Moving targets?

Wiseman explains that the book does not serve as a recipe, but rather the start of a conversation. WHat matters most is creating the right conditions.

The best leaders … create both safety and stretch.

Gayle Allen https://www.gayleallen.net/cm-211-liz-wiseman-on-standing-out-at-work/

Wiseman also discusses the current challenges of remote work. She touches on the breakdown of chains of impact, explaining that when we are apart we often fall into a habit of going from task to task.

We burnout not from too much work, but too little impact.

Gayle Allen https://www.gayleallen.net/cm-211-liz-wiseman-on-standing-out-at-work/

This all reminds me of something that David Truss recently wrote about improvising:

The world is your stage. The play is your playground. Improvise your roles as best as you can. And remember that others are improvising theirs roles too. Work with your fellow actors to create the best performance you can. But remember it’s all an act, and if you aren’t playing a role that works, change the role or change the way you act in it. All the world is an improv stage, and so you get to write the script as you go. Enjoy the performance, you only get one.

David Truss https://daily-ink.davidtruss.com/all-the-world-is-an-improv-stage/

The post 🎧 Liz Wiseman on Standing Out at Work (Curious Minds) first appeared on Read Write Collect.