The Playmaker: A Quiet Impact

I’m standing on the side of the soccer field, watching my son’s team play. The game is intense, and both teams are battling it out. The ball is passed from the defender to the midfielder—the playmaker. I watch as the playmaker dribbles through a crowd of opponents, eyes scanning the field. In a split second, he sends a perfect pass across the field to the striker, who is wide open. The striker takes the opportunity, and the ball spins into the top corner of the net. Despite the goalkeeper's best efforts, it’s a goal.

The cheers erupt from both the field and the sidelines. Parents are celebrating. The team is basking in the moment. Amidst all the excitement, I noticed the playmaker. He wiped the sweat from his head and smiled quietly to himself while walking back to his position, ready for the game to restart. He knows that while the striker may have scored, it was his setup, his keystone action, that made it all possible.

Watching that play unfold, I couldn’t help but think how much this mirrors the way projects are delivered in the workplace. At first, someone kicks things off, driving initial momentum. But then, like the playmaker, it’s often the introverted leaders who take the deliberate, behind-the-scenes actions that set the team up for success. They may not receive the immediate applause, but they’re the ones quietly putting everything in place for the final result.

The Quiet Impact of an Introverted Leader

As an introverted leader, I’ve often felt like the playmaker in a workspace. And I’ve seen many others in similar roles—working diligently behind the scenes, taking decisive actions at just the right moments, and ensuring the project is set up for success. These are the leaders who may not be in the spotlight but are critical to the delivery of results.

I recently worked with an introverted leader who embodied this perfectly. In a high-stakes project, while the rest of the team focused on daily tasks and immediate issues, this leader took the time to step back and map out the keystone actions that would truly drive the project forward. They didn’t need constant validation, nor did they seek the attention that others were after. Instead, they were focused on identifying the critical actions that would ensure the team reached its goal.

This leader, like the playmaker on the field, wasn’t looking for praise. They were focused on making sure everything was in place for the team to succeed. And when the project was successfully delivered, the visible celebrations were for the final push, but the true success lay in the careful setup, the quiet impact of the actions taken along the way.

The Power of Keystone Actions

I was reflecting on this idea further while reading "The 12-Week Year" over the weekend. The book emphasizes the importance of visualizing the vision and then identifying and executing the keystone actions—the critical steps that will lead to success. These actions are few but crucial, and they are what ultimately drive results.

Introverted leaders, much like playmakers, have an incredible ability to observe the bigger picture. We can identify the game plan and pinpoint which actions need to happen to set things up for success. And because we don’t always need to be front and center, we can focus on ensuring that the right steps are taken by the right people at the right time.

In the workplace, just as on the soccer field, it’s not always the loudest person who drives success. It’s often the one who, like the playmaker, is quietly watching the flow of the game, reading the situation, and making those key decisions that put the team in a position to win.

How Introverted Leaders Thrive

As introverted leaders, we don’t need to be constantly in the spotlight to make an impact. Our strength lies in our ability to step back, assess, and execute the keystone actions that lead to success. We may not always be the ones who score the goals, but we’re the ones who set up the winning play.

By focusing on the most critical actions, introverted leaders ensure that their teams stay aligned with the vision and that the path to success is clear. The satisfaction comes not from the applause but from knowing that we’ve made a difference in driving results, even if it’s behind the scenes.

Conclusion: The Quiet Path to Success

Reflecting on both soccer and leadership, the parallels are clear. Just as a playmaker quietly sets up a goal, introverted leaders quietly set up success in the workplace. Through careful observation, thoughtful execution, and strategic action, we drive results, often without seeking recognition.

It’s not about being the loudest or most visible leader. It’s about making the right moves at the right time. Success, whether on the field or in the office, comes from setting a vision, identifying the keystone actions, and executing them with precision.