Eric Bright's Key Ideas from Impact Players
by Liz Wiseman

• Do the job that’s needed. When dealing with messy problems, impact players address the needs of the organisation. They do the job that needs to be done.
• Step up. Impact players get things started and involve others while the rest wait for direction.
• They finish strong while enforcing a culture of accountability.
• They adapt quickly to change because they interpret new rules and targets as opportunities for learning and growth.
• They make work light. They provide lift by being easy to work with.

• They tap into unwritten rules - the standards of behaviour that one should follow in a particular job.
• The impact generates investment. They harness uncertainty and ambiguity and find solutions.
• Value building. They are self-managing and will complete a job without being told or reminded. They can take on higher-value opportunities and carry greater weight.

The best leaders cultivate an environment that is:

• Comfortable. They remove fear and provide security that encourages people to do their best thinking
• Intense. Creating an environment that demands their best efforts.

Only creating one of these conditions will cause one of two conditions.

• It will either stretch people without the foundation of safety. This can produce paralyzing anxiety.
• It will foster a supportive environment without asking people to do something challenging. This could make people stagnant.

The five leadership habits will encourage the right behaviour in a team. The first two creates an environment of safety, and the last three provide stretch.

• Define the W.I.N.(What's Important Now). Help your team to see what's most important at any given time. 
• Redefine leadership. Encourage leaders to step up and step back.
• Ask your people to stay until the job is done before moving onto the next.
• Provide performance intel. "Am I hitting the target?"
• State what you appreciate. If you want your team to make work light, ensure you flag behaviour that you appreciate.

Innovation focused teams tend to be temporal - they form, collaborate, and disband. Team members need to be able to step up when needed and step back with equal ease. 

• To help reluctant leaders participate in this fast, fluid leadership model, provide a path of retreat. Show them that being a designated leader can be temporary, existing for the duration of a project or just a single meeting.
• It can also take work to step back and support others. Model a healthy followership practice by collaborating with a peer organisation or contributing to a project led by someone below you.