Powerful Punch

High-impact people provide the fuel to keep your business on the cutting edge and operating at peak capacity. And the smaller your operation, the more critical each person becomes. "You want to be a high-impact player yourself, and you definitely want to hire high-impact players, because they're the ones who make a difference," says Joe M. Powell, executive editor of "The Management Masters Survey" (Worthing Brighton Press). In conducting the survey between 1997 and 1999, Powell worked with 30 of the nation's leading business graduate schools to identify six critical performance characteristics of high-impact players. How do you and your managers measure up?

1. Establish knowledge and learning networks. High-impact people develop and participate in a wide range of knowledge networks, Powell says. "You can't wait until you need to know something to establish your learning network. You need to do it right now, so that the minute a crisis comes up, you know who to call." Build a network of knowledgeable people and resources by participating in professional associations and taking advantage of educational and business opportunities.