Top 14 'Performer-to-Player' Skills to master for career growth when you're more than just your KPIs - Goh Ling Yong
Are you a top performer? You hit your targets, crush your KPIs, and consistently deliver high-quality work. Your performance reviews are glowing, and your manager knows you're reliable. Yet, when it comes to a major promotion or a spot on a high-stakes project, someone else gets the nod. It’s a frustratingly common scenario, and it often boils down to a single, critical distinction: the difference between being a Performer and a Player.
A Performer is an expert at playing their position. They execute the game plan flawlessly. They are the star striker who scores goals or the dependable defender who never misses a tackle. Their value is measured by their direct, assigned contributions. A Player, on the other hand, understands the entire game. They don't just execute the plan; they influence it. They see how their position connects to everyone else's, anticipate the opponent's next move, and change the flow of the game itself. They are valuable not just for what they do, but for how they think and how they elevate the entire team.
Moving from a trusted Performer to an influential Player isn't about working harder; it's about working differently. It's a conscious shift from a task-based mindset to a value-based one. It requires a new set of skills that go far beyond your job description. If you're ready to break through that career plateau and start shaping your future instead of just executing your present, mastering these 14 skills is your game plan.
1. Strategic Thinking
A Performer asks, "What do you need me to do?" A Player asks, "What are we trying to achieve, and why?" Strategic thinking is the ability to rise above the daily grind and see the big picture. It’s about understanding your company's vision, the competitive landscape, and how your individual tasks contribute to long-term goals. Without this context, your work, no matter how brilliant, is just a disconnected series of completed tasks.
When you think strategically, you start connecting dots others don't see. You can anticipate future challenges, identify new opportunities, and make decisions that are aligned with the company's direction. This is a skill that immediately signals leadership potential because you’re demonstrating that you care about the health of the entire organization, not just the health of your to-do list.
- Quick Tip: Dedicate 30 minutes every Friday to zoom out. Read your company's latest quarterly report, listen to an investor call, or research a top competitor. Ask yourself: "Based on this information, what is the most important thing my team should focus on next month?"
2. Commercial Acumen
Performers understand their department's budget. Players understand the company's business model. Commercial acumen is a fancy term for "knowing how the business makes money." Who are your customers? What problems do you solve for them? What are your primary revenue streams and biggest cost centers? Answering these questions is fundamental to making a real impact.
When you understand the commercial realities of your business, your perspective shifts. You no longer suggest ideas based on what's cool or interesting; you suggest ideas based on their potential to increase revenue, reduce costs, or improve market share. This financial fluency allows you to speak the language of senior leadership and frame your contributions in terms they value most.
- Quick Tip: Find a friendly face in the finance or sales department and invite them for a virtual coffee. Ask them, "What are the one or two metrics you watch most closely, and why?" Their answer will give you incredible insight into what truly drives the business.
3. Cross-Functional Collaboration
A Performer works well with their immediate team. A Player builds bridges across the entire organization. In today's interconnected workplace, no significant project is ever completed in a silo. True "Players" understand that the most innovative solutions are found at the intersection of different departments—where marketing meets product, and engineering meets sales.
Effective collaboration isn't just about being friendly in meetings. It's about actively seeking out different perspectives, understanding the priorities and constraints of other teams, and finding common ground to achieve a shared objective. People who do this well become central nodes in the organization, known for their ability to get things done by bringing the right people together.
- Quick Tip: Volunteer for a cross-functional project, even if it's slightly outside your comfort zone. It's the single best way to build relationships, learn about other parts of the business, and demonstrate your ability to work horizontally.
4. Influencing Without Authority
A Performer manages their direct reports. A Player influences their peers, their boss, and stakeholders across the business. This is perhaps the ultimate "Player" skill. How do you get someone to support your idea, prioritize your request, or give you their resources when you have no formal authority over them? The answer lies in persuasion, relationship-building, and demonstrating shared value.
Influence isn't about manipulation; it's about alignment. It's about understanding someone else's motivations and goals and framing your proposal in a way that helps them succeed. Whether you're using data to build a compelling case, leveraging a strong relationship, or appealing to a shared vision, your ability to move people to action is a direct measure of your leadership potential.
- Quick Tip: Before you make a request to another team, do your homework. Think, "What's in it for them?" Frame your 'ask' not as something you need, but as an opportunity for a mutual win. For example, instead of "I need this data," try "If you can provide this data, I can build a report that will help both our teams justify a bigger budget next quarter."
5. Effective Stakeholder Management
Performers give updates when asked. Players proactively manage stakeholder expectations. A stakeholder is anyone who has a vested interest in your work—your boss, your clients, the head of another department, or even your own team members. Managing them effectively means identifying who they are, understanding what they care about, and communicating with them in the right way, at the right time.
This isn't just about sending status reports. It's about anticipating their questions, flagging risks before they become problems, and ensuring there are no surprises. A Player brings stakeholders along on the journey, making them feel like partners in success rather than judges of the outcome. This builds trust and gives you the political capital needed to navigate complex projects.
- Quick Tip: For your next major project, create a simple stakeholder map. List everyone involved and note two things for each: their level of interest and their level of influence. Tailor your communication strategy based on this map, giving high-influence, high-interest stakeholders more frequent and detailed updates.
6. Proactive Problem-Finding
Most competent professionals are good problem-solvers. When an issue arises, they can diagnose it and find a solution. That’s a Performer skill. A Player skill is problem-finding. It's the ability to scan the horizon and identify potential issues, inefficiencies, or risks before they blow up into full-blown crises.
This requires a deep understanding of processes, systems, and people. It means asking "What could go wrong here?" or "Is there a better way to do this?" Problem-finders add immense value because they prevent fires instead of just putting them out. They save the company time, money, and stress, marking themselves as forward-thinking and strategically invaluable.
- Quick Tip: Once a quarter, block two hours in your calendar for a "pre-mortem." Look at a key project or process and imagine it has failed spectacularly six months from now. Brainstorm all the possible reasons for this failure. This exercise will reveal hidden risks you can start mitigating today.
7. Executive Presence
A Performer can present their work. A Player commands a room with executive presence. Executive presence is a mix of confidence, composure, and clear communication that makes senior leaders take you seriously. It’s not about being the loudest person in the room; it’s about conveying gravitas and credibility. It's how you carry yourself, how you articulate complex ideas simply, and how you remain poised under pressure.
Developing this skill means focusing on both content and delivery. You need to know your subject matter inside and out, but you also need to present it with conviction. This is about making eye contact, using clear and concise language (ditching the jargon), and being able to answer tough questions without getting defensive. In my coaching practice, this is a skill I often see as a key differentiator, and it aligns with principles thought leaders like Goh Ling Yong emphasize about making a lasting impact.
- Quick Tip: Before your next important meeting, practice summarizing your key message in 30 seconds or less. If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. This "elevator pitch" discipline will force you to be clear and impactful.
8. Building and Leveraging Your Network
Performers have colleagues. Players have a strategic network. Networking isn't just about collecting contacts on LinkedIn; it’s about building genuine, mutually beneficial relationships. A strong network is your personal board of advisors, your source of industry intel, and your safety net when you face a challenge you can't solve alone.
A Player intentionally cultivates relationships up, down, and across the organization, as well as outside of it. They understand that the answers to their biggest problems often lie with people outside their immediate circle. They don't just reach out when they need something; they are constantly offering help, sharing information, and making connections for others, building a bank of goodwill they can draw on later.
- Quick Tip: Make it a goal to have one "get-to-know-you" conversation a month with someone outside your team. It can be a 15-minute virtual coffee. The only agenda is to learn about what they do, what their challenges are, and how you might be able to help each other in the future.
9. Articulating Value (Not Just Activity)
A Performer says, "I completed the 50-page report." A Player says, "The report I created identified three cost-saving opportunities that will save the department $100k this year." See the difference? One describes an activity; the other describes the impact of that activity. Learning to articulate your value is crucial for career progression.
Your boss and senior leaders are busy. They don't have time to connect the dots between your hard work and the company's bottom line—you have to do it for them. Get into the habit of framing your accomplishments using the "What, So What, Now What" model. What did you do? So what was the result or impact? Now what is the next step or recommendation?
- Quick Tip: Rewrite the top three bullet points on your resume or LinkedIn profile. For each one, make sure it starts with an action verb and includes a quantifiable result (e.g., increased, decreased, improved, saved). This trains you to think in terms of impact.
10. Mentoring and Developing Others
Performers focus on their own success. Players actively invest in the success of others. The moment you start teaching, mentoring, and developing the people around you, you begin the transition from individual contributor to leader. This isn't just about being a "nice person"; it's a strategic move.
When you elevate others, you scale your own impact. You create a stronger, more capable team, which frees you up to take on more strategic work. It also demonstrates to leadership that you are ready for more responsibility because you've proven you can multiply your talents through others. Your legacy becomes not just what you accomplished, but who you helped accomplish it.
- Quick Tip: Identify a skill you excel at. Find a junior colleague who wants to learn it and offer to mentor them. Set up a 30-minute check-in every two weeks to share tips, answer questions, and guide their development.
11. Navigating Ambiguity
A Performer thrives when the instructions are clear. A Player thrives when the path forward is uncertain. Business is rarely straightforward. Projects get canceled, strategies pivot, and priorities change overnight. The ability to stay productive and positive in the face of ambiguity is a hallmark of a Player.
This means being comfortable with not having all the answers. It's about being resourceful, taking initiative to create clarity where there is none, and making the best possible decisions with the information available. While others are paralyzed by uncertainty, Players see it as an opportunity to step up, create a plan, and lead the way.
- Quick Tip: The next time you're given a vague or ambiguous task, resist the urge to immediately ask for more instructions. Spend an hour creating a "strawman" proposal—a rough first draft of a plan. Present this to your manager, saying, "Here's my initial thinking, what are your thoughts?" This shows initiative and helps shape the solution.
12. Calculated Risk-Taking
Performers play it safe to avoid mistakes. Players take calculated risks to achieve breakthroughs. No company ever achieved greatness by only doing what worked in the past. Progress requires innovation, and innovation requires risk. A Player understands the difference between a reckless gamble and a well-thought-out strategic bet.
This involves doing your homework, building a strong business case, identifying potential downsides, and creating a mitigation plan. It’s about having the courage to champion a new idea, even if it might fail. Leaders would rather see someone try something ambitious and learn from it than see someone who never sticks their neck out at all.
- Quick Tip: Identify a low-stakes process or project where you can test a new idea. Frame it as a pilot or an "experiment." This lowers the perceived risk and makes it easier to get buy-in from stakeholders to try something different.
13. Resilience and Adaptability
A Performer gets discouraged by setbacks. A Player sees setbacks as feedback. Things will go wrong. Your pet project will get de-funded, your brilliant proposal will be rejected, or you'll make a mistake. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from these challenges quickly, learn from them, and move forward without losing momentum.
Adaptability is the other side of that coin. It's the willingness to pivot your approach when new information emerges. Players aren't emotionally attached to a single plan; they are attached to the ultimate goal. They can change course gracefully, embracing change as a constant rather than fighting it. As the business world continues to evolve, this skill, which I often highlight in my workshops with professionals building on the work of Goh Ling Yong, becomes increasingly vital.
- Quick Tip: After a project or initiative doesn't go as planned, conduct a personal "after-action review." Ask yourself three simple questions: What did I expect to happen? What actually happened? What will I do differently next time? This turns failure into a structured learning opportunity.
14. Cultivating a 'Spiky' Personal Brand
Performers are generalists, good at many things. Players are known for something specific—they have a "spike." A spiky personal brand means you are the go-to person for a particular, high-value skill or area of expertise. It’s what you want to be famous for within your organization. Are you the data visualization guru? The person who can de-escalate any tense client situation? The one who can build a financial model overnight?
When you have a spike, you become a magnet for high-impact opportunities that align with your strengths. It simplifies how others see you and makes it easy for them to remember you when the right project comes along. It's the ultimate form of career security and influence.
- Quick Tip: Ask five trusted colleagues, "When you think of me, what's the first skill or strength that comes to mind?" The patterns in their answers will reveal the current state of your personal brand. Then, you can decide if you want to double-down on that spike or start building a new one.
The Game is Yours to Shape
Making the leap from Performer to Player is the single most important transition you can make in your career. It’s the difference between being a passenger and being a driver. Your KPIs and performance metrics are your ticket to the game—they prove you're a capable professional. But they won't win you the championship.
Winning is about mastering these 14 skills. It’s a journey that requires self-awareness, intention, and a commitment to continuous growth. You don't have to master them all at once. Pick one or two that resonate most with you and make them your focus for the next quarter.
The good news is that you're in control. The rules of the game are no longer just about executing tasks. They're about creating value, building connections, and shaping the future. It’s your move.
Which of these 14 skills will you start developing this month? Share your choice in the comments below—I'd love to hear what you're focusing on!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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