His advice went beyond merely being good at doing your job, and fulfilling responsibilities to ensure success. What he intended, a notion that still deeply resonates with me, was the significance of showcasing your dedication to contributing meaningfully to the organization. This involves actively tackling complex and messy challenges, helping solve problems, stepping up, and bolstering the company’s strength through value creation. He shared a profound insight derived from his own journey and, most importantly, introduced me to a mindset that frames professional challenges as gateways to growth and accomplishment.

It may seem great advice but how do we act on it? Well, enter Liz Wiseman, inviting us to wear our opportunity goggles and think like Impact Players, taking the lead, playing bigger and multiplying our impact! The author describes impact players as people who see uncertainty not as threats but as opportunities and do not shy away from diving into problems where they can add value.  And that is the key to get started, since it’s the impact player’s mentality and their consistency in the practices they exhibit that really makes them stand out. There are 5 practices that impact players¹ adopt that translate into value for every organization, so let’s get started!

I. Do the Job that’s Needed (Make yourself useful)

We all know people who are good at their jobs, but the value generated by impact players comes from doing the job that is needed, venturing out of the comfort zone of their assigned roles, and working at the front lines of all types of problems. This may be a daunting task but by leaving behind the comfort and getting into the messy bits is where the players that make a difference feel at ease.

In a world where the complexity of problems and velocity of change are the norm, the ability to work through the challenges and see the opportunities becomes a pressing need for every organization. In this context impact players will see themselves as problem solvers and not only stick to the tasks they have been assigned. Have you ever worked on a team initiative and faced communication issues? Did you just stick to providing the information or doing the job you were requested while waiting for someone else to deal with the issues of team dynamics? Or have you offered to collaborate with a Project Manager Team Lead or Colleagues, to improve a process, to suggest a better way to make communication flow? Were you a silent observer or were you out of your comfort zone, considering the bigger picture, and tackling the problem that needed to be solved? Impact players, the most effective professionals will be focusing on the latter, how they can be useful and look for the real job to be done.

A natural consequence of the behavior impact players display is that their work does not go unnoticed by leaders and stakeholders, and that builds credibility. To become true problem solvers, these players display a service mentality but combine it with a “strong sense of agency and an internal locus of control” (Wiseman, 2021). They are not only willing to step in, but they have the capacity to act independently and make decisions as well as understanding that they are responsible and control the outcomes and effects.

Players who are effective in making themselves useful learn the game, understand it, and play where they are needed, and they do it with passion.

But, to provide value to the organization, one first needs to understand what is valued, what are the top priorities, what skills and capabilities are most prized. It is paramount to understand the agenda and the rules of the game, both the written and unwritten ones. A way to look for that is to pay attention to what leaders spend time on, what has momentum and is celebrated: that is the agenda. If you get this, you can focus your energy on doing the job that needs to be done and has the biggest impact.

The high impact contributors can work with great fluidity and are able to move easily within strategy and tactical roles working without borders. Additionally, impact players are defined by the passion they put into their actions. They work with purpose and conviction to the service of the organization and not only driven by personal interests.

It is by doing the job that is needed that impact players can generate value across the organization, being noticed by stakeholders and being brought into the game on the biggest opportunities, especially when the things get tough.

II. Step Up, Step Back (An opportunity to provide leadership)

While doing the job that’s needed requires stepping out of your comfort zone, impactful professionals also understand the importance of stepping up. They are part of a rare group that understand when it’s the time to step up and lead but also adapt to stepping back and following others as needed.

So, when faced with settling for what is, do you become a silent bystander or do you step up and take the lead? The answer may not always be heroic and understandably it can be overwhelming to make the decision when it involves complex challenges, several stakeholders and hence stepping on someone else’s toes. Organizations can’t only rely on senior leadership to make these tough calls and it requires professionals to raise their hands. As you may have guessed, impact players take charge in situations that lack leadership and do not wait till they’re handed down orders when they see an opportunity for change and positive impact.

Impact players have a stewardship mentality and a proactive personality, very much as we discussed earlier, they not only identify what needs to be addressed they decide to act upon it. And they will do it on an on-demand basis, not needing the formal authority and acting as temporary caretakers as they take ownership of the situation.

A good way to get started if you have identified a need on your organization is to reach out to your manager and volunteer. You won’t always receive an invitation to step up, but you can certainly offer to help and begin to feel more comfortable with not only pointing out what is wrong but also contributing to being part of the solution. Be prepared to assume the leadership and ensure you can take the ball to the finish line.

While others are busy making excuses, impact players will focus on making a difference and getting things done. They will rally people around them, lead collaboratively and, show initiative and take on the responsibility. It is this attitude that ensures they will be trusted not only to “catch the ball but run with it and score for the team” (Wiseman, 2021).

III. Finish Stronger (A chance to do it a better way)

Every day, professionals do a great job by acting and working hard but many times stop before the work is done. And while uncertainty is part of an organization’s life and there are unknown events that can’t be foreseen, several can be anticipated and dealt with. Impact players are skillful at facing adversity, they will get work done even if things get hard. 

Impact players seem to have been blessed by “the completion gene” (Wiseman, 2021). They will act like agents on a mission and without the need to be instructed or directed but capable of heralding support from HQ when required. Knowing that you need help is hard enough to admit, but it is an important self-check we need to have in place. And calling for reinforcements in time makes a huge difference and can save you and your team several headaches. High profile players will not wait till last minute to raise issues or escalate without first giving it a shot at coming up with solutions. It is important when you take ownership to know what you need to set the project up for success and who you need to involve early on. 

Impact players, are often referred to as low maintenance because they will assume ownership, display high levels of accountability, work through scenarios to anticipate probable issues, and get the job done. They show resilience and grit and don’t shy away through obstacles and setbacks. 

The predictability that these high performers demonstrate by providing results without having to be managed or monitored makes them dependable. It goes to further solidify their credibility and it’s what makes them the top choice when assigning high visibility projects. With time it is not only leadership that notices, their colleagues also perceive them as dependable and will want to work on their projects or offer to volunteer on their initiatives.

IV. Ask and Adjust (A reason to build new capabilities)

As Stephen Hawking said, intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. And something we can’t deny is the velocity of change and the need we have to adapt the way we work and develop new capabilities. Most recently Chat-GPT has impacted all areas of organizations and raised the question of how we need to work differently and re-train ourselves.

The top contributors in Wiseman’s study proved to be agile learners and there were 2 behaviors that set them apart. The ability to quickly learn when presented with new challenges and their curiosity and openness to new ideas. They showed that they had the confidence to grow through learning and were not afraid of failure. Thus, impact players tend to be identified as more coachable and be more responsive to guidance. 

Unlike typical contributors, impact players are continuously seeking feedback and redirection instead of constant praise and reassurance. An important distinction here is how they interpret feedback as a guidance to stay in tune with the agenda and understand it as information on their work not as judgment of themselves. They embrace change as opportunities for growth, an exercise to stretch their boundaries and continuously learn.

Individuals who have the capacity to adapt and grow are needed in every organization across all industries and levels. The impact players not only master this art and feel comfortable with the stretch, they also provide examples and reassurance to other contributors that it can be done.  Fostering a learning mindset is key to professional growth and requires  asking good questions, seeking continuous feedback, learning from others, and fixing mistakes while taking risks and stretching yourself.

V. Make work Light (A need to work together)

A last characteristic of the impact players is that they seem to make work light and not add to the load. They are not high maintenance individuals who seem to add to the burden of an already complex situation or do the minimum required from the task. They make work easier by acting as reinforcements and the way they approach work enables the team to carry the load. 

We all certainly enjoy work and responsibilities when it does not feel like a burden, when we can share a laugh and shake the stress off. But the high performers are not just the people that colleagues turn to for fun they are the players that help work through roadblocks, and ensure the focus is where needed and that everyone’s time is valued. They are prepared for meetings and ready to go, ready to step in when required and not concerned with drama or finger pointing. 

In essence, making the work light means not adding to your team, staying on top of your responsibilities, and helping others succeed. Top performers never miss the opportunity to reach out to help others no matter how demanding the day gets.

Source: https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-impact-players/ 
Conclusion 

All the characteristics displayed by impact players are valuable to colleagues and the organization as a whole and can translate across industries. Even though the impact players are not mastering all 5 at the same time, they have demonstrated to be exceptional at 3 or 4 but most importantly not underperform in any category.  They have the mindset that helps them understand the agenda and adapt, and they can deliver consistently, building credibility that translates into greater opportunities. 

It is that consistency that impact players demonstrate that truly helps to generate value across the organization. That always factor will make it easier for leaders to delegate and for colleagues to stand behind initiatives. As more people within the organization operate in this manner, Wiseman highlights, the organization becomes more performance focused, leaders can then provide the right targets and players can figure the most effective way to hit the targets.

So, what comes next? Probably ask what you can do, and not in the strict sense of the phrase but how you can truly contribute, and always remember to pay attention to the agenda and the unwritten rules for you’ll need to understand the game to play and finish strong.

And Alex if you get to read this, thanks once again for reminding me to step up and embrace the opportunities.

References

¹The distinction the author makes between contributors and impact players is not a classification of individuals but of practices and as such not a contrast between winners and losers.

Bibliography

Wiseman, L. (2021). Impact Players How to take the lead, play bigger, and multiply your impact (1st ed.). HarperCollins Publishers.

Additional resources can be found at:
https://impactplayersbook.com/
https://impactplayersbook.com/resources/

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Ignacio or as we call him “Nacho” is Uruguayan and began his career at the University of Montevideo, studying Telematics Engineering (Electrical and Computer Engineering).  He was part of the early group of engineers who began working at Montevideo Labs with DataXu (acquired by Roku) back in 2017 and later decided to pursue a Master’s in Computational Data Science at Carnegie Mellon University.  

Nacho, thank you so much for taking the time to talk about your experiences. It is always such a pleasure to reconnect with Montevideo Labs alums. So, you studied Telematics at the University of Montevideo. How did you decide to get into this career?

“Yes, I am a Telematics Engineer but never worked in electronics. Well, the first internship I did was in electronics, but I didn’t like it all that much, so I said to myself this is clearly not what I want to do. 

I have always been very passionate about mathematics, and software engineering has a lot of math, algorithms, and optimization. That niche was what attracted me the most, so I focused the last two years of my undergrad on software engineering. I enjoy the intersection of systems, mathematics, and business understanding. The rest is history, and I have worked as a Software Engineer ever since.

I also feel you have to have a lot of creativity as a Software Engineer and coding in general that many people are not aware. There are multiple of different ways of doing the same things – some more innovative than others, and newer ways of solving problems are constantly being developed. However, there is always a tradeoff, and you must work with the client to identify it as to frame, solve, implement and launch a new product.”

You mentioned your first work experience was not what you expected. Tell me a bit more about it.

“My first internship in electronics was not what I expected but it helped me define my career path, so in that sense it definitely helped.  After that internship I started working at Montevideo Labs and working there helped me find the concentration area for my master’s degree, Computational Data Science.  There are multiple focus areas as an Engineer, you can work on front-end, back-end, data processing, data infrastructure, applications for users, and so much more; and that is why I am grateful to Montevideo Labs because it helped me identify what I liked, which was large-scale data processing and how to harness data to produce meaningful analysis.  Not only did I find what I was passionate about, but I was also presented with a challenging and fast paced environment. Maxi (Founder and Chief Engineering Officer) is a genius, and I learned a lot from him, as well as from my other colleagues.”

Did you imagine that you would be in contact with clients from the start and working on a daily basis with people from abroad when you started at Montevideo Labs?

“I figured as much since many companies in Uruguay work with clients abroad. However, what I did not expect was the level of cutting-edge technology used in Uruguay. For example, developing a real time system to assign a dollar value to online ads at DataXu.  What surprised me was how most (if not all) was done by Montevideo Labs. Bidding in real time is one of the most canonical examples used in Machine Learning, so in graduate school, when presented with the example, I was able to share my first-hand experience. 

During my master’s degree there were people who had work experience and others fresh out of college. My previous work experience was key for my success at Carnegie Mellon University.”

You mentioned interacting with other Engineers abroad, did you feel there was a big knowledge or experience gap?

“I felt I was on par while working both with my colleagues and professors. For example, my previous experience with Apache Spark was one of the reasons I was invited to be a Teaching Assistant for Machine Learning with Large Datasets class at CMU.I really enjoyed it because it bridged the gap between academia and industry.”

What made you want to get a master’s degree in the USA?

“I told Maxi that I wanted to study abroad even before I joined Montevideo Labs, and he was supportive from day one – zero actually. I wanted to pursue a master’s degree to learn even more, particularly to learn about the things that I liked in more depth.  I chose Carnegie Mellon because of how strong their Computer Science related programs are, particularly the area of data science and machine learning. For example, in one of my classes, while doing a presentation, the professor told me that the library that I was using for my analysis was written by him. Like this there were many other stories, things that were invented at the university itself, books written by professors, and so much more. “

Tell me about that experience interning at Facebook

“My program required me to do an internship during the summer (May-August). Carnegie Mellon University has recruiting fairs where companies of the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon have booths, and go there to recruit students. 

One of the things I highlight the most from school is their alumni network. There are many former students working at these companies, and I contacted a few on LinkedIn to learn more about the roles and work that they do. 

In the case of Facebook, I contacted an alumnus from my program, and he was able to share about the work he did, and what the interview process looks like for Facebook. I applied, and after various rounds of interviews I was extended an offer for a Data Engineering Internship. Originally the internship was going to be in California, but because of COVID-19 it ended up being remote/online from Pittsburgh. Considering how the world was affected by the pandemic, the fact of having been able to do it was a great experience, nonetheless.”

How was the remote experience? Is it different to how we work?

“One of the things I noticed working at Facebook is that the nature of the problems they solve are the same as what I did back at Montevideo Labs – the main difference is the resources they have – be it people and infrastructure. 

For example, working at Montevideo Labs you have to wear several different hats. You work on the design, testing, deployment, capacity estimation, tuning and so much more. At Facebook, however, a lot of those nuances are handled by different teams, so you are able to laser focus on just what your team does. 

As an intern, the scope of projects is more limited given the little time. However, the experience helped me appreciate the infrastructure and how they are able to scale the work to thousands of engineers.”

How does the company work? Does it have a “Facebook way” of doing things?

“They have a strong culture of “fail fast”, push code quickly, try it out, and if it doesn’t work out, roll back and try something new.”

How was the experience in the USA with the pandemic? Has remote working opened the gates to the world?

“The pandemic caught me during spring break, and we quickly shifted to online classes. It was hard because I was in a foreign country, with very few friends, and I suddenly found myself spending a lot of time in my apartment. I wish I was able to have more face-to-face time at Carnegie Mellon, but it is negligible compared with what was going on around the world.

The pandemic made it pretty evident just how globalized and interconnected the world is today. I see the possibility of getting a job anywhere in the world so much easier now.  There was a shift in the industry, where now it became less about the physical place you are at, and more about sourcing the best talent anywhere in the world. This presents a very good opportunity for Uruguay, particularly since we are almost on the same time zone as the East Coast.”

Do you have any recommendations from your time abroad that could translate to Montevideo Labs? Something to add or modify?

“I think in terms of quality of engineering we are on par. The team at Montevideo Labs is extremely capable and talented. At school I even found myself asking for help from some of my former workers at Montevideo Labs, and they always knew how to help me and answered my questions.  I even wrote to some Uruguayan friends.”

What recommendations would you have for someone looking for their ideal job?

“One of the most important things is to find a job or an internship on something that you are passionate about – something that you really like. Use the Facebook “fail fast” mentality, try something new, get out of your comfort zone, take advantage of the internships and find what you enjoy. I am a living example of that since I started with telematics and switched to software engineering

Also, when looking for a company aside from the technical challenges, I feel the team and the people really make a difference.  If the people you interact with and the communication is not fluent and honest, it doesn’t work. It is important that the environment fosters communication, where even the most junior engineer is encouraged to ask questions, and learning is the most important thing. 

I am happy to have had this environment at Montevideo Labs.”