878. Are You A Go-To Player? featuring John Maxwell's "101 Collection."

Welcome back! Today, we’re diving into what it means to be a go-to player. Are you the person people count on when it matters most? Or has that edge gotten a little dull lately?

In this episode, I’m breaking down what it takes to step up your game, deliver results, and become indispensable—not just at work, but in life.

Here’s what you’ll gain by listening:

• A clear understanding of what makes a go-to player and why they’re essential in any team or organization.
• Practical traits and habits you can develop to become someone others can rely on.
• Insights on how to thrive under pressure, even when circumstances aren’t ideal.
• Strategies to turn limited resources into opportunities using curiosity and creativity.
• A guide to creating momentum when the energy is low, whether it’s in a team or your personal life.
• Inspiration to carry the load during tough times and build trust and influence in the process.
• Tools to step up and lead, even when the leader isn’t present.
• Motivation to reflect, improve, and reclaim your edge if you’ve gotten a little complacent.

Let’s talk about what it takes to not just show up—but to stand out as the go-to player you were meant to be. Hit play and let’s get started!

Transcript

0:00

Alright 3, 2, 1. Let's get it. Do you consider yourself? A go-to player. In my random reading this morning, I picked up John Maxwell's immense book. It's a big one. The complete one-on-one collection, what every leader needs to know. And I came across a chapter that really just jumped out there at me. Am I ready to step up my game. And to me, it couldn't have come at a better time. Because it's the start of a new year. And it's a moment for me to reflect. On where I've been. And the plan for where I want to go. And this chapter really got me to thinking. About what it means to be. The GTP a go-to player, the kind of person that others count on. When it really matters and more importantly, How we can all embody those traits. In our own lives. There is no fanfare for a go-to player. There is no formal announcement. There's nothing that you even put on a resume. You just. Become that guy. That go-to player. So let's talk about what makes it go to player. And how you can become one. And why it's going to be a game changer for you. Not just for your career. But also for every area. Of your life. So let's start with what is a go-to player? A go-to player is someone. I just get shit done. They get it done, man. No drama, no announcements. They just deliver. Especially when the stakes are high. Maxwell says winning teams have players who make things happen. They have go-to players. And here's the thing being a go-to player. It's not about natural talent. Are some flashy education or resume. It's about just. Showing up. Working hard. And building trust. Through consistent results. And here's where it gets interesting. Being a go-to player, doesn't just make you valuable to your organization. It makes you indispensable to your team. Your family. And even society at large. Go-to players create opportunities for themselves. And they become really what I like to call a free agent. Who can write their own ticket. And that's something. We should all be striving for. I never want to get trapped playing another man's game. And so being a go-to player and establishing yourself as a go-to player. It's going to not only. Increase your collaborations with others. But it widens your connections. Your independence, your resilience, your resolve. Your confidence. Bro. It's just, it really is. A form of a superpower. So let's break down what the traits of a go-to player are. And how you can develop them because remember. You don't have to go to school for this. You don't have to download an app. You don't have to do anything. Other than identify with these traits. I'm about to roll out to you. Thanks to John Maxwell. And see. There may be a couple of these that you're pretty good at. And then there may be a few of them that you're like, Yeah, I could really improve on that. Or maybe they're not existing at all. And it's just constant awareness. And hopefully this has just creates that spark where you just, dude, you strap in, strap up. The strap on. this success. So here's the first trait according to John Maxwell and I'll just riff off of that. Go-to players thrive under pressure. Love this one. They don't need ideal conditions. Our perfect setup. Maxwell says they find a way to make things happen. No matter what. You can see a person's true character. When the stakes are high. You can. So when the stakes are high, when the pressure is on. Do they panic? Or do they lock in. Focus. And execute. The best go-to players rise to the occasion. And they don't complain. They don't make excuses. And frankly, the more pressure there is. The stronger they become. So you got to ask yourself. How well do you perform under pressure? Are you calm? Do you have a steady presence that people can count on? Or do you crumble when things get tough? And here's what's key. Number one, be honest with yourself. What confrontation is one of the life skills I coach on all the time. There's five of them. Communication, curiosity, creativity, continuous learning, and action. And productive confrontation. So confrontation when you really get real with yourself and say, bro, look when the heat has been on before I crumbled a part of the reason why you probably crumbled is because you. You kinda, you kinda like a poster. You know, it. You walk behind the poster. There's nothing there. And sometimes we pose. And we act like we have it going on and we've developed a certain amount of skillsets to really hold our own. But then we kind of been masking the weaknesses, but then when the pressure is there and you get exposed, that's when you crumble. So part of the confrontation, part of it is when you see this and you are identifying you're like bro, yeah. I've cut bait before and run, or I've started blaming, or I kind of set somebody else up. Maybe you've done those things. Maybe you pointed the flaws in somebody else just to get the heat off you. If that's the case, it's probably because you weren't well-prepared. And because you didn't voluntarily continuous learning the other life skill because you didn't constantly learn and develop your skill sets without being mandated to do so. You really kind of became a, a paper champ. So. Just lock in, say, okay, I got to get better prepared and you do this, man, look, this is going to be a lifestyle. This isn't something that's going to be of an event for this year. For the next six months. It's not an event. No, this is something that you just become, you embody it. All right. Second one go-to players produce. When resources are few, this one's super personal for me. Because I've never had. A lot of natural talent. Our advantages. I was always really kind of the underdog. I was the last one to be picked on the team. I was deep to own the depth chart when I got into college and played football. I came in on the depth chart. But I left out on top because I've always had this unique ability. I became an All-American. Uh, all Louisiana. And was also a permanent team captain and that's voted by. Your your, your teammates, that's more important than all, any sports writers, accolades of an All-American, whatever. I think that's kind of a political thing anyway, but I'm grateful for it. Um, but really to be picked as a permanent team captain and I was an offensive lineman. So, you know, normally it's the Hollywood guys. That they get the permanent captain spot. That's the, the linebackers, the quarterbacks, the receivers. Those kind of guys and for my teammates to elect me as a, as a team captain, as an offensive lineman. Brah. That's like, that's like a lifetime achievement award for me. It was super special. It still is to this day. It means a lot. But I've always had this unique ability of being able to kind of stumble into positions. And kind of just. I don't know, shrink into the position. And then I just balloon out because what I've been able to do is I've been able to. Harness my curiosity. And my creativity. And really kind of play with a chip on my shoulder. And then a mass, my skillset from there. Maxwell says that go-to players, they don't whine about what they lack. Instead they see limitations. As an opportunity to innovate. This is why. One of the five skills. Is the curiosity and the creativity side of it, asking questions, the curiosity side, asking questions. Experimenting. Tinkering. Instead of giving up and then the creativity using your lack as leverage. When you lack resources, you become resourceful. Making the most of what's available, no matter how little it may be. And so this resourcefulness. It's key. And that's what go-to players. Encapsulate, they don't need ideal conditions. And they're able to. Make things go their way because they just adjust for the way they work. They work with whatever they got. All right. The third one go-to players produce. When momentum is low. So let's talk about momentum and John Maxwell, I think breaks it down brilliantly. There's three kinds of. Momentum carriers in organizations, there's momentum, breakers, momentum takers. And momentum makers. So. The first one momentum breakers. These people just really sabotage the success of a team. They disrupt the culture. They throw a little shade around and they just, they just, they break the momentum. And, you know, they, it becomes this. Incestuous cancer. And it just all kind of feeds upon itself before you know, it, it just spirals out of control. If you're not careful as a leader and nip that Carter eyes, it. And it just, it just, the thinking become a feeding frenzy. So that's momentum, breakers, momentum takers. They're neither nor they don't, they don't disrupt the momentum. But they don't create it either. They just ride the wave, whatever, you know, whatever it is, they sink to the level of the organization, or they just rise to the level of, they just go with the flow. And then there's momentum makers. This is what you want to be. This is the go-to players, the GTPS baby. So being that go-to plate, or this is where you create the energy when your team is fatigued. And. You know, they just, it looks like all hope is lost. Momentum makers. It just roll it up, man. They just work a process. They get in there, they make it happen. They don't talk a lot. And they just, they just produce. And this is what you want to do. They're able to, this is what you want to be able to do is you want to be able to pick up the slack. And move things forward. When the whole rest of the team is just, it's a little bit out of rhythm, you know how sometimes just things just aren't quite clicking. You feel like just the team's a little bit out of sync. This is where those momentum makers as a go-to player can really kind of glue this thing back together. And a lot of times, and this is what's special to momentum makers.'cause they don't ride with the flow and they're only looking at an upward flow. They manage the downside. They don't cave to it, but they manage it. And they lessen it. And then they just keep working for position and momentum. Because nothing stays the same momentum. Doesn't stay going. But it doesn't stay reassessing either. So it's just a matter of managing these flows, but continue to work your process. To make things go once again. And this is huge man for teams and organizations. So if you want to be a person of influence, This is going to be. A key area. Becoming a momentum maker. Number four go-to players. Produce. When the load is heavy. Bro. This is where legends are made. Go-to players shine when the load is heavy. They do. And so when everybody else is kind of losing their head and everybody else kind of steps back, Go-to player step forward. And they feel the heat. They're probably internally, a little bit scared. But they just, they step up. And they got big shoulders. And they have a willingness and a capacity. To handle the heavy loads. And this trait. Is what builds. The influence and trust. You, you can't. Just be influential. You can't just be trustworthy. You got to earn it. And so when the pressure's on. People remember. The ones who showed up. And who got the job done. These are those stories that get told later. And the moments. When it all seemed lost. And somebody just stepped forward out of the fog. That's where legends are. Right. This is where reputations are built. So if you want to become. That person of influence. You got to embrace the hard moments. Confrontations key. Don't shy away from them and the last one, let's wind this thing up. Go to players produce when the leader is absent. See go-to players. They're not trying to. Undermine the leader. They're not even trying to get the leader's position. They don't even give a shit about that. They're just interested in producing results. So when the leader is there, they're a great companion to the leader. But when the leader is absent. Go-to players had this knack, this ability to be able to just kind of step in that gap. Fill the void. And they just keep things going and they lead by example. And so they just, again, they rise to the occasion when needed, but then when they're not needed and the leaders back in the store, Then they just continue to produce. They're just, they just steady eddies man. They just go at it. And so I can tell you this. As a leader, man, it's incredibly valuable. To have some go-to players on your team and there's plenty of room form. Because again, go to players. Don't need any special favors. They don't need big pats on the back. They just, they just roll dog it, man. They just white knuckle it and get in there and make it happen. And so it's really, really. Uh, blessing. If you can have a couple of go-to players on your team as a leader. So when you're out of the store or you're off or you're on vacation. That you have the assurances. That the torch is going to continue to burn. And when you stepped back in. That thing's still red hot. And so you're not trying to recreate the momentum. And takes weeks to get that thing going again. And then boss, man is looking at you because you like bro, you can't even leave. And the whole store went down to shit. Or when you weren't here. And I think to me, this is the mark of a good leader, too. Is when you can create in this and even in the book, but as I'm talking this out, When you can create go-to players. I think that's essential for a leader to. And the only way you're going to create. Go-to players. Is let them get to it. You gotta have some trust built in there. You got to give him some leeway. You gotta give them some runway. Stop. Micro-managing stop worrying. If you're worried about your position, then you've stopped learning and growing anyway. So you should be worried. But the confident leaders, I want a guy, I want to empower a go-to player. Do what I do. Take my spot, because if you take my spot, then I can go up to another spot. Right. And so that's, what's important too. If you are a leader, you need to be. Cultivating some go-to players. So that way. This will actually free you up. You may slow down a little bit. To teach them to. Empower them. And to guide them. But. In the long run, and this is a long infinite game we're playing. In the long run, you're going to Slingshot. Up. and forward. And you're going to bring other people up. With you as well. So that's a whole side note there. So, let me ask you this. Are you a go-to player? Do you consider yourself a go-to player? How do you measure up? And just think about the five traits. Do you produce under pressure? Do you thrive? With limited resources. Do you create momentum? When it's lacking. Do you carry the low when it's heavy? Do you deliver the results? Even when the leader is absent. So take a look at the list and identify where are you excelling? And where do you need to improve? Because being a go-to player. It's not about perfection at all. It's about consistency. It's about showing up. It's about working hard. And it's about being someone others can count on. Now, if you've grown complacent, maybe you've been a go-to player. And your Jersey got a little tarnished. Kind of like butter left out on the counter too long. Starting to soften up a little bit. What's cool. Is it's muscle memory, man. You know what it takes? All right. You probably. Felt a little, sorry for yourself. You. You probably wanted a little more accolades. Maybe you got passed over for promotion. Whatever, but see, this is what's important as a go-to player and what's key. It's a superpower man that no one can ever take from you. It's really an education in the experiences and the consistency and just developing an ethos. That can carry into all areas of your life. So professionally, personally, Creatively. You just become. They go to player and I can tell you this. You become that go-to player. You're going to be less. Aggravated. You're probably going to. Not. Sabotage yourself with. Destructive vices and measures. You know, some sometimes when we get to feeling down for ourselves, we just, we kind of go into sabotage mode. We kind of tear ourselves down mentally, sometimes, physically, too. We just don't have. That, that, uh, that hum we once had. Okay. It, it happens. And so identifying these things and saying, Hey, I've been a go-to player in this area. I need the, I need the. Hardness up. From this up a little bit. And then there were some other areas maybe you've. You know, historically just haven't been that at all, but what's great is just five. So you just look at these five areas and maybe, maybe you're, you're about a 50% on all of them. So, what can you do to start moving the needle? And so it's, it's really just kind of staying in the clutch a little bit longer. It's being consistent. It stopped. You know, don't be disruptive. Stop saying stupid shit. And just be someone that. Others can count on. And when I say others, I'm not just talking about organizations, I'm talking about your loved ones. I'm talking about society. But also. Be the kind of person that you can count on. And so when you start. Staying in the gap and you handle these loads and you create the momentum and you're not being disruptive. And you you're resourceful when there is no resources and you're not bitching and complaining about those things. And you just have this steely resolve and you're not given a whole bunch of narrative to it. You just locked in. I'm telling you you're going to be less frustrated. Way more productive. You'll be a free agent. In the market. And you can write your own ticket to success and whatever comes it comes, you just make a way for it. All right. I hope this episode helped you and I hope it helps you become a go-to player. If there's anything I can do to help you, I'm on all the socials you can DM me. And I'll be glad to get back to you. Are you can go to my website, marshbuice.com and they're in the bottom. Right's a mic from you to me, leave me a personalized message. I think also on the podcast app, there's a link where you can send me a text message, shoot me a text, man. And for those of you who just absolutely love, what's your problem, the podcast, we are the top 3% podcasts in the world. Please leave a rating and review. I know you're super busy. But we hadn't had a rating and review and a few pecan seasons man, thumb that rating, but more importantly, leave a review behind what episode really stood out for you. And what was the thing that, that really kind of turned the corner? I was talking to a friend the other day, and she was talking about an episode that really stood out for her. And every time I see her, she repeats that episode to me and, and how it's keeping her on track. That's what this is all about, man. It's not about me. I just, I just deliver the message that I've been given and hopefully. It helps you because it certainly helps me because as I share these things, Um, I have. I have a need to, it's kind of that I raised the bar. And so our reach up for that bar, and this gives me something to play to today. So enough about that. Leave a rating and review. Behind because there are millions of podcasts out there. And, uh, it's your words that could stop someone in their tracks and say, let me check this out, man. Who's just baldheaded dude, on the, on the cover of the, uh, The podcast. What's your problem? Three problems. We all face. Adversity, uncertainty and complacency. And we'll give you some skills to be able to handle those. Uh, those things, which is communication, curiosity, creativity, continuous learning, and action. And productive confrontation. I say, give you those skills. You already have them there. They're innate you just have to make those things come alive a little bit. So hopefully listening to these messages. They kind of, they kind of trigger those things. You like. Okay, got to get creative. Gotta be curious, gotta be a continuous learner. Got to communicate better. Not only with myself and others. And then I got to confront, man. I got confronted some shit in my own life, but also confront in a productive way. Not tearing people down or chasing people down or hunting people down. It's not about that. It's the confrontation. What you will allow establishing some boundaries and also. Establishing a flight path where you need to be because you got somewhere higher to be it. Ain't just here. All right. Let's get out of here. Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough peace