Fig-1: The Four Players in a Career
Having now worked with about 6,500 clients from many countries and at all levels, from students entering college to seasoned CEOs, I have come to realize that, by-and-large, there are four types of players that dominate any career field. Although this is my own taxonomy (with some derived from Kim Scott’s writings) and glossary to go with it, but it brings home the point of how these different class of players play out their roles in their career arena and how they impact the outcomes for themselves, their companies, and others around them. Career coaching also plays a part in how one moves from one class to the next—both up and down—as we shall discuss later in this blog. Let us first take a look at each and then see how they play their roles in managing what they do and the outcomes they create:
- Rock stars: Rock stars is a rare breed of professionals; they are the game changers in the field in which they play. They create stellar outcomes and are known to create breakthrough in their profession by virtue of their exceptional skills, leadership, and vision. Examples of Rock stars are Jony Ive of Apple, Andy Rubin (Android fame), Vint Cerf (now at Google), among others. Rock stars are known for their unique ability to create paradigm shifts, game-changing concepts, technologies, and products that change the way we live.
- Super stars: If Rock stars shift paradigms, they need Super stars to make them a reality. Without the Super stars Rock stars may not come into prominence. A good example of a Rock-star Super-star due would be Steve Jobs of Apple and Tim Cook. They needed each other to take Apple to where it is today. A more common example is how visionary CTOs pair-up with VPs of engineering and product development to bring their vision to reality. Their skills are complementary. Although each category in these two classes of players can be successful independently their success is symbiotic when they find each other.
- Order takers: Order takers are solid performers who need someone to tell them what to do. Although they are very good with their skills and their ability to get things done, they lack the inner vision and inspiration the Rock stars possess. They often go through their life and their career convinced that they lack the spark of a Rock star or a Super star. I’ve found, through my coaching experience, that they are often wrong in their conviction because of their own limiting beliefs. Rock stars need Super stars, and Super stars need Order Takers to carry out the details of their execution plan.
- Plodders: These are the slow, reliable, and steady workers who deliver on their commitments without any drama and one can rely on them to come through once they understand and commit to their mission. They need oversight to make sure that they are on track because they sometimes lack the ability to realize how far they are from the end point, but with some oversight and leadership help, Plodders can form the backbone of any organization’s delivery mechanism.
Now that we have identified these four players let us look at the Figure-1. This figure shows where each player plays and how they ply their role to create the Outcomes and Career Impact. The horizontal axis shows Delivery (or Delivered Outcomes) and the vertical, Career Impact. This impact is on both, themselves and their company (even on the society and the ecosystem in which their company plays).
Starting with the Plodders it is easy to see how, on their own, they can struggle to deliver stellar outcomes. They can deliver on Expectations if their expectations are managed well and they are provided with the leadership oversight throughout their engagement in the mission they carry.
The next class, moving up in the food chain, is that of the Order Takers. Although they are good at what they do they often lack the motivation, inspiration, and the inner drive to get going on their own. Sometimes, these factors are caused by external situations, such as a bad boss, poor company environment, lack of incentives, etc. So, if they are given a mission with clear “orders to execute,” they will mobilize their resources to drive the mission to success. As the graph of their trajectory shows the more they are asked (Expressed purpose) and the more they deliver the more is their impact on their own career and the company’s operations.
Super stars are the next class in this schema, who are independently talented leaders good at spotting opportunities and mobilizing action to capture those opportunities. Sometimes, but not always, they lack the keen insights of the Rock stars, but are talented enough to be part of the inner circle of a Rock star. They often derive their inspiration from the Rock stars and collaborate with them to advance their agendas in a synergistic way. Super stars often come up with initiatives and projects that make a major contribution to a company’s success on their own, but their proper teaming with the Rock stars further extends their success. Super stars often work on the premise of “Anticipation,” which means their stature in the company creates a certain anticipation of performance, on which they often deliver, as is shown in Figure-1.
Rock stars are a rare breed of players that shift existing paradigms and who create game-changing plays and outcomes. Their station in a given ecosystem is well defined and their impact within the ecosystem and even beyond is often well recognized. Their performance curve is in the “Delighted” category, which means that their efforts often result in creating delightful outcomes, both for their company and for themselves.
As you can see from the graphic, both the Rock stars and the Super stars do not always have to deliver on their promise to create a positive outcome and impact.
Impact of Coaching: Having worked with all four categories of professionals as my clients, I’ve found that each class of players is not predestined to belong to just that class. I have worked with Plodders and moved them up in their station by finding out what was blocking their growth or motivation. I have also worked with Rock stars, who had fallen down to a much lower station as a result of many factors that they did not (or could not) control. Once each class of players is shown what it takes to change and is provided with the tools and guidance to achieve their full potential they are often surprised by the outcomes they are able to create with diligent effort, support, and the right mindset.
The most difficult part and struggle many face is that they operate in a state of “Unconscious Incompetence.” What this means is that they do not know what they do not know and they surrender to their plight as they often see it as inevitability or fate. Nothing could be further from the truth. Having a certain level of self-awareness and finding themselves the right help anyone can change the trajectory of their career with diligent work and a plan.
Good luck!