University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Impact Players
Book

Impact Players

How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact

Liz Wiseman
HarperBusiness, 2021
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Many professionals excel in their jobs, yet a few rise above the rest. Leaders struggle to identify the differentiators that separate high-impact employees from their equally capable peers. Talent development professional Liz Wiseman draws on her experience to unravel the mind-set of top performers. She helps you recognize them, and teaches you the practices that will make them – and you – vital players in your organization.

Summary

Impact players find the most valuable way to contribute their capability at work.

Impact players are the standout contributors who create extraordinary value. Leaders tend to know who these high-impact employees are but often struggle to pinpoint what separates them from their equally capable peers. Insights from leaders at top companies help understand what the most influential players are doing differently, how small differences in the way people think and act can make an enormous impact and why, with a little coaching, this mind-set is available to everyone who wants to perform at their peak.

To understand these differentiators, researchers asked managers at nine top companies to describe three types of employees:

  • High-impact contributors: those who do work of exceptional value and impact.
  • Typical contributors: Those who produce solid, steady work. They work hard, perform well and earn high praise from their managers.
  • Under-contributors: Those who perform below their capacity and capabilities.

The interviews with these managers exposed differences that enable high-impact contributors to go beyond capability...

About the Author

Former corporate executive and author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts Liz Wiseman leads The Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm.

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