Narrator: Imagine it’s a Saturday morning in 1992. A 22-year-old Scott O'Neil, fresh out of college, walks into his new entry-level job as a marketing assistant for the New Jersey Nets. The office is empty, except for one problem: the copier is broken. Most people would walk past, maybe leave a note, and get on with their day. But O'Neil, having some experience with copiers, decides to fix it. As he’s disassembling the machine, the president of the organization, Jon Spoelstra, walks in and sees him. Impressed by his initiative, Spoelstra promotes him to a sales position on the spot. This single moment of proactive problem-solving launched a career that would see O'Neil become the CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers.

What separates the person who walks past the broken copier from the one who fixes it? This is the central question explored in Liz Wiseman's book, Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact. Wiseman argues that in any organization, there exists a small group of individuals who make a disproportionate contribution. They aren't just high performers; they are Impact Players. They navigate ambiguity, solve messy problems, and make everyone around them better. This book provides the playbook for how they do it.

Narrator: In today's complex work environments, job descriptions are often outdated the moment they're written. While typical contributors focus on fulfilling the duties outlined in their role, Impact Players look beyond their assigned tasks to see the job that truly needs to be done. They understand that opportunity is often disguised as work that no one else wants.

Wiseman shares her own experience early in her career at Oracle. As a new hire with a business background, she wanted to create a leadership development program. However, after a reorganization, she found herself interviewing for a new role. The vice president, Bob Shaver, listened to her pitch but gently redirected her. He told her, "Liz, make yourself useful." The company didn't need another leadership program at that moment; it desperately needed technical trainers to get its programmers up to speed.

Though it wasn't her passion, Wiseman took the advice. She partnered with a technical expert, learned the technology, and became an instructor. By doing the job that was needed, she built a reputation as someone who understood the business and worked on what mattered most. Within a year, she was promoted to department manager. Impact Players make themselves useful by aligning their efforts with the organization's most pressing needs, not just their personal interests or formal job description.

Narrator: Organizations are often filled with "ambient problems"—low-grade issues that everyone complains about but no one owns. These problems create drag and erode performance, but because they exist in a leadership vacuum, they persist. Impact Players see these vacuums as an opportunity to lead, even without formal authority.

Consider the case of Paul Forgey, a supply chain director at Target. He was tasked with examining the customer return process, which was clunky and spread across five different departments. His team identified the problems and could have simply submitted a report. But Forgey felt an obligation to do more. He took the initiative to convene a meeting with managers from all five departments. He didn't have authority over them, but he stepped into the leadership void. He presented a compelling vision of a seamless return process, and inspired the group to form a cross-functional team. Within six months, they had developed a solution that slashed refund times from ten days to just one.

Forgey’s manager later said of him, "He doesn’t ask for permission. He just takes initiative." Impact Players don't wait to be asked. They step up to lead, enroll others in a solution, and, just as importantly, step back once the work is done, allowing others to take ownership.

Narrator: When faced with an obstacle, the typical contributor’s response is often to escalate the problem to their manager. They do their part and then hand it off. Impact Players, however, maintain ownership until the job is truly done. They see a task through to the finish line, navigating any hurdles that arise along the way.

This mindset was put to the ultimate test by Dr. Menes, an emergency physician in Las Vegas. On the night of the 2017 mass shooting, he received an alert about an unprecedented number of incoming patients with gunshot wounds. Having mentally rehearsed for such a catastrophe, he didn't panic. He invoked a plan, reconfiguring the entire emergency department on the fly. When the workflow backed up, he didn't escalate; he improvised, turning triage over to a senior nurse so he could focus on stabilizing patients. When they ran out of ventilators, he directed staff to put two patients of similar size on a single machine.

Dr. Menes took complete ownership of the crisis. He didn't just do his job; he did whatever it took to get every patient treated. By sunrise, all 215 patients had been moved out of emergency care. Impact Players don't just work on a task; they take ownership of the outcome, finishing stronger than anyone expected.

Narrator: In a rapidly changing world, what you know is less important than how fast you can learn. Impact Players understand this and remain perpetually coachable. While others might get defensive or resist feedback, Impact Players actively seek it out, viewing criticism as a tool for recalibration and growth.

Deep Shrestha, a lead programmer at Salesforce, learned this lesson the hard way. Early in his career, he had a reputation for locking horns with colleagues. During a critical meeting to integrate his product with others, his design was pushed back on by the team. Frustrated, he argued his case but left the meeting feeling defensive. Instead of digging in his heels, he took a walk to clear his head. He made a conscious effort to see the problem from his colleagues' perspective, realizing he had missed a key factor: the user experience. He returned, agreed to their approach, and changed his design.

This act of humility and adjustment transformed his reputation. He became known as a highly collaborative teammate. Impact Players don't let their ego get in the way of the best outcome. They ask, listen, and adjust, which allows them to learn and adapt faster than their peers.

Narrator: Every team has members who, despite their talent, make work harder for everyone else. They create drama, add complexity, and drain energy from the group. Impact Players do the opposite. They are a source of "lift," reducing the "phantom workload" of stress and friction, making it easier for everyone to do their best work.

Karl Doose, a business manager at SAP, exemplifies this principle. His job is to support a global chief operating officer, Cathy Ward. He makes her work lighter by constantly anticipating her needs. He looks ahead at her schedule and prepares slide decks and analyses before she even asks for them. When he finds a long, relevant report, he doesn't just forward it; he sends a summary with the five most salient points.

This proactive support saves everyone time and mental energy. He is seen as low-maintenance but high-value. Impact Players understand that their contribution isn't just about their individual output; it's about making the entire team more effective and the work more enjoyable. They bring a sense of ease and positivity that lightens the load for all.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Impact Players is that the difference between a good contributor and a great one is not a matter of talent, but of mindset. Impact isn't something that's bestowed upon you; it's a choice you make in how you approach your work. It’s the choice to see ambiguity as an opportunity, to do the job that's needed, to take ownership of the outcome, to stay coachable, and to make work easier for others.

This book challenges us to move beyond simply being busy and to focus on being valuable. The final question it leaves us with is not just "How can I become an Impact Player?" but also, "How can I create an environment that recognizes and nurtures the hidden Impact Players all around me?" Because when we learn to spot and amplify this mindset, we don't just improve our own careers—we elevate the performance of our entire team.