Impact Players

02Conquering Problems Nobody Else Wants

Every organization, regardless of its size, industry, or level of success, is plagued by what we can lovingly refer to as "messy problems." These are the highly complex, cross-functional issues that do not fit neatly into anyone’s official job description. Perhaps it is a recurring miscommunication between the sales team and the product developers, a convoluted client onboarding process that frustrates new customers, or a piece of legacy software that everyone hates but nobody has the authority to replace. Because these problems are homeless, they are often subjected to the corporate version of the bystander effect. Everyone sees the problem, everyone complains about the problem, but everyone assumes that somebody else will eventually fix it. The ordinary contributor approaches their work with a mindset of strict adherence to their designated role. Their internal monologue says, "I was hired to be a marketing analyst. I will analyze the marketing data to the best of my ability, and I will stay out of everything else." While this sounds like a responsible approach, it fundamentally ignores the reality of modern business. Businesses are dynamic, breathing ecosystems. When a messy problem arises, the rigid adherence to a job description becomes a liability. If a crucial ball is dropped between two departments, the ordinary contributor will simply point at the ball and say, "That is not my job to pick up." They retreat to the safety of their defined boundaries, leaving the organization to suffer the consequences of the unhandled issue. Impact Players operate with a radically different philosophy. Their guiding principle is not "Do your job," but rather, "Do the job that is needed." They possess an uncanny ability to look beyond their specific tasks and understand the broader mission of the organization. When they spot a messy, unassigned problem that is hindering the team's success, they do not wait for a formal invitation to get involved. They step out of their assigned lanes, pick up the dropped ball, and take ownership of the solution. To master this practice, you must learn to identify what Liz Wiseman refers to as W.I.N.—What’s Important Now. In any fast-paced environment, the true priorities of a leadership team can shift rapidly due to market conditions, customer feedback, or financial constraints. The official goals you set at the beginning of the year might become completely irrelevant by the third quarter. Impact Players are acutely attuned to these shifts. They listen carefully to the subtext of executive meetings, they read between the lines of company-wide emails, and they constantly ask themselves, "What is the most critical challenge my leaders are facing right this minute?" Once they identify that challenge, they pivot their energy toward it, even if it requires them to learn new skills or collaborate with unfamiliar teams. Consider a situation where a software company releases a highly anticipated update, but a bug causes widespread crashes for a specific subset of users. The customer support team is drowning in angry tickets, while the engineering team is busy working on the next set of features, unaware of the severity of the crisis. An ordinary contributor in the marketing department might just continue drafting the newsletter for next week, completely ignoring the fire burning next door. An Impact Player in that same marketing department, however, will recognize that "What's Important Now" is saving the company's reputation and retaining those angry users. They might pause their newsletter work, proactively reach out to the lead engineer to highlight the spike in complaints, and then draft a sincere, transparent email to the affected users to buy the engineering team some time. They are doing the job that is needed, not just the job they were hired to do. Stepping out of your lane can certainly feel intimidating. Many people avoid doing so because they fear stepping on their colleagues' toes or being perceived as a know-it-all. However, Impact Players navigate this delicate territory with immense grace and collaboration. They do not swoop in to steal the spotlight or dictate orders to other departments. Instead, they approach messy problems with genuine curiosity and a desire to serve. They ask questions like, "I noticed we seem to be struggling with the client onboarding handoff. Is there anything I can do to help bridge that gap?" By framing their involvement as an offer of assistance rather than a hostile takeover, they disarm potential defensiveness and build powerful cross-functional alliances. Furthermore, tackling these orphaned problems is one of the fastest ways to build a reputation as an indispensable asset. Managers and executives are painfully aware of the messy problems in their organizations, but they often lack the time or bandwidth to solve them. When you take the initiative to clean up a persistent operational mess, you are essentially removing a massive cognitive burden from your leadership team. You transition from being viewed as an employee who simply executes tasks to a strategic partner who drives the business forward. To begin applying this practice in your own career, start by doing a quick audit of your daily environment. What is the one persistent frustration that everyone complains about but nobody is actively trying to fix? What is a process that is clearly broken and costing your team time or money? Once you identify a candidate, resist the urge to complain about it. Instead, take a small, proactive step toward solving it. Gather some data, draft a proposed new workflow, or invite a few colleagues from different departments to brainstorm a solution. By choosing to step into the void and do the job that is desperately needed, you will immediately elevate your value and set the stage for the next crucial practice: leading when the rules are unclear.

Continue reading with LeapAhead app

Full summary is waiting for you in the app

Continue reading