Unstoppable. Anderson Dave

      One who has developed a reputation for getting things done right and fast will never want for more opportunities, influence, or empowerment.

      6. When in caretaker status, you are not committed to prepare or to improve your skill set, mindset, or organization. You are pretty much in it for yourself, and your attitude is to just do your job, and you do it pretty much like you are serving a prison sentence.

      Bjorn Englen is one of the world's foremost bass guitar players. He has played bass for Yngwie Malmsteen, Billboard #1 Quiet Riot, and Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth, and currently plays in Soul Sign, in Dio's official band Dio Disciples, and with Tony MacAlpine.

      Note, as Bjorn describes his game changer, Mike, how many of the traits mentioned in this chapter are being lived out, and how Mike is the antithesis of a caretaker. We all need a Mike, and to learn to be more like Mike.

      When I think of a game changer, I think of three traits: commitment, loyalty, and enthusiasm. Someone who immediately comes to mind is a musician whom I hired to play in my own group Soul Sign a few years ago. I had been struggling with various “hired gun” players for years and often focused on getting name players into the band. This didn't seem to do the trick, as most of them (although good friends and talented) often lacked one or more of the above-mentioned qualities (commitment, loyalty, and/or enthusiasm). Most of them are great friends and incredible musicians, but often turned out to be talented “playmakers.” I soon realized that a paid fee per show or rehearsal often didn't trigger any of the traits I was most looking for. Instead, getting someone to be a member of the band to share profits, expenses, and decisions seemed to be a much more beneficial and effective approach.

      When I suggested to Mike to come and audition for the band, I gave him three songs off the latest CD to learn. He replied, “I already know the whole album.” He drove for more than two hours to the audition and showed up 45 minutes early. During the audition, he stopped playing in the middle of two different songs to correct me and the others about the song arrangement! We were, to say the least, both very impressed and happy. Since then I have mentioned to several people how Mike gave himself the job. He basically didn't give us any reason to turn him down. Following the audition, we rehearsed once or twice a week for about 18 months. Mike would drive 140 miles each way and was never once late. He would always show up in a good mood with a big smile on his face and would always insist on working hard with very few short breaks. He would never complain about money or expenses, but instead he would be proactive and talk about how we could improve our performances, get more bookings, etc. Needless to say, he became my right arm. His loyalty was to the band, and to me as a leader and founder of the group, and he would often speak for me to other members of the group to get them to follow rules or plans that were set and agreed upon. Mike turned out to be a true game changer, and he set an example for what kind of team members we should be looking for in order to reach great success (Bjorn Englen, pers. comm.).

      While caretakers limp through the first mile whining the whole way, game changers traverse the second, third, and beyond – not because they have to, but because they want to.

      7. When in caretaker status, you will not seek feedback about how you can improve; and, when someone offers it, you respond as though you are about to be choked out by Connor McGregor. You also tend to take it personally and would rather pout than improve. Or you listen to it and may even agree with it, but you change nothing because of it. You are just too comfortable with how things are to engage in the discomfort of progress. You accept things because they are familiar, not because they are the best. As a result, you do not grow; you plateau. Oppositely, game changers not only act on feedback they receive, but they seek it out and insist on it. Germain Automotive Group is a 70-year-old company that has 15 franchises across three states. They sell upwards of 25,000 vehicles annually and give broad autonomy to the general managers of each entity. John Malishenko, the COO and a two-decade team member of Germain, explains how acceptance of coaching and feedback is a key growth catalyst for his management team: “When I look at our leadership team and think about what, beyond talent, makes them special, it's their adaptability and willingness to embrace change that make them ‘game changers.’ While they all have a degree of dominance, it seems to be their humility or not needing to be right that allows them to improve continuously. They welcome constructive criticism and don't get defensive or take it personally” (John Malishenko, pers. comm.).

      The caretaker performer is more committed to being comfortable than to getting better. Game changers, in contrast, listen to the feedback from those who know them best. They know it is better to be humbled by them than to be humiliated before the masses.

      In summary, caretaker performers in any realm are common, nothing special, easy to find, and cheap to keep. Whatever caretaker trait resonated with you – or made you the most uncomfortable – may also have the most to teach you about where you have let up and are declining both personally and professionally.