Book SummaryImpact Players, by Liz Wiseman

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Impact Players

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. They look for the most productive ways to be of use, consistently deliver stellar results, and positively influence their entire team. Leaders estimate that such individuals contribute more than three times as much value as average contributors.

Wiseman conducted a study involving 170 leaders from global organizations like Google, NASA, and Adobe to identify the habits and mindsets that set impact players apart from average contributors. She found that...

Impact Players Summary Why Should You Become an Impact Player?

Wiseman writes that becoming an impact player can be highly rewarding not only for your organization but also for your career: When leaders see the exceptional value you bring to the table, they invest more in your growth. Consequently, you’ll receive more rewards, greater access to mentorship opportunities, more exciting and challenging assignments, and a quicker advancement in your career.

(Shortform note: Research suggests that the more complex your job is, the more impact you can make. In simpler jobs, high performers tend to be four times more productive than their average-performing...

Impact Players Summary The Impact Player Mindset

Wiseman argues that impact players adopt a mindset that allows them to see more opportunities to create value than average contributors. They embrace change, they consider the perspectives of others, and they don’t doubt themselves.

(Shortform note: The idea that your mindset and thoughts affect your reality is central to the law of attraction. Popularized by books like Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret, the law of attraction posits that your energy attracts like energy from the universe—positive thinking attracts positive things and negative thinking attracts negative things into your life. Although the law of attraction is considered a pseudoscience, meaning there’s no empirical proof for it, studies have shown that your thoughts can make you luckier or unluckier. Research suggests that, like impact players, lucky people are simply more open to opportunities and are more prepared to seize them when they appear.)

Let’s explore each of these shifts in thinking to help you adopt the mindset of...

Impact Players Summary The Five High-Impact Habits

Now that we’ve discussed the mindset of impact players, let’s look at ways to become one yourself. Based on her research, Wiseman lays out five key habits of impact players that help them reach their fullest potential, maximizing the benefits they bring to themselves and their organizations.

Habit #1: Find Ways to Be More Valuable

First, Wiseman writes that impact players actively look for ways they can be of more use. Specifically, they identify and do the most valuable work, even if it’s outside of their job description.

(Shortform note: Shouldering more responsibilities can help you increase your impact at work, but some argue that you shouldn’t overload yourself with so many tasks that you neglect self-care. In Working Hard, Hardly Working, Grace Beverley says that although self-care feels unproductive since you’re not doing work, it actually increases your productivity—it leaves you rejuvenated and primed to do your best when you are working. So, while identifying and taking on...

Impact Players Summary 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...

Shortform Exercise: Find Ways to Be More Valuable

Impact players distinguish themselves in their workplace by actively finding ways to be valuable beyond their designated roles. In this exercise, identify and act on opportunities within your organization.

List the current top three priorities of your organization and your direct superior. If you don’t know what these priorities are, write down a plan for how you’ll find out.