Impact Players

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...