In the Clutch: Seizing high leverage career moments

In sports, we call certain players “clutch” because they execute in the most important moments. So too, will you be remembered (or not) for your clutch moments at work. [Work in Progress: Part 05]

May 06, 2024

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Series: Work in Progress | Part: 5 of 10 | Reading Time: 5 mins
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This is the 5th part of the series Work in Progress. Last week, I talked about finding and creating Career Leverage. Subscribe to get the next part in the series.

In sports, we call certain players “clutch” because they execute at a high level in the most important moments.

The end of a game. When the score is tied. When the season is on the line.

We remember these players based on these critical moments.

So too, will you be remembered (or not) for your clutch moments.

Yes, our day-to-day work is important. But sometimes we only have a few chances to prove ourselves.

How can we identify and seize these high leverage moments? First, a story…

The story of a clutch career

In 2019, Privia Health launched two of its most complicated and largest new customers.

But that year was also the launch of someone’s career to the next level.

Jenny Ballard joined Privia Health in 2015, as an entry-level Coordinator on our Implementation team.

Jenny got her big break in 2019 when she was asked to launch one of the largest medical groups in Georgia.

But that break got even bigger (and much harder), right after.

In addition to the large Georgia group, Privia also signed our first hospital system in a new state. The hospital would now be the biggest, most complicated customer in Privia’s history.

And Jenny was asked to implement both. At the same time. One would be going live in May. The next in August.

The pressure was immense, coming from all sides. These were three ambitious organizations who each had to get this right.

And at the center was Jenny, still young and in the early stages of her career.

She not only had to handle an impossible workload, but also learn new skills at the same time. She would have to figure out how to manage multiple large teams and align a diverse range of demanding executives across organizations.

The story turns

And then, in April, right before both go-lives, the well-respected senior executive overseeing Jenny and the project, resigned.

In the middle of the fire, Jenny lost a key executive partner. She had to step up again.

While most people would have buckled under the pressure, Jenny figured it out. She pulled off what most of us could never do: she elevated herself and the team, simultaneously.

Without the senior executive, Jenny filled the leadership void left behind. She also lifted up the other team members around her, delegating more through the organization. Jenny and the team pulled through, with two successful launches.

Jenny’s success was revered across the company and her reputation was solidified. It would go down as one of the most remarkable achievements in Privia’s history (we would end up going public a little over a year later).

A few years later, Jenny became Vice President (while still relatively young), now leading the team that she was hired into as a Coordinator less than 10 years before.

While Jenny’s success was grounded in day-to-day hard work, these clutch moments amplified her fate. And propelled her to the next level.

Clutch moments

Clutch moments in sports are obvious, but they show up in work in different ways:

▸ Times of crisis.

The people who step up during times of crisis, when things are the shakiest, become the most valuable. When other people are scared is the best time to step up.

▸ Important, gnarly projects.

If you’re the one to volunteer for that ugly project, and give it your best, you will be rewarded for your sacrifice. That’s true even if the project goes poorly.

▸ When the boss leaves.

My biggest leaps in responsibility happened when the person above me left (or was fired). It leaves a hole that can be filled by reliable people who can be trusted. That’s true even if the role seems like a stretch for the new person.

▸ When the metrics are bad.

Do you own them or deflect accountability? Owning bad metrics can be a powerful moment, especially when you find a way out. Deflecting bad metrics can be even more powerful, but in the wrong direction.

▸ When people are in conflict.

When there’s conflict between people, how do you respond? Do you make the conflict worse or do you help to resolve it? Do you shy away from conflict or move toward it? Being able to successfully resolve conflict (or not), sticks in people’s minds because of the emotions involved.

▸ When a big sale is on the line.

If you are able to help close a key customer, worth a lot to the business, you will be worth a lot. If you don’t have a big part, then nail your small part to perfection.

▸ When there’s an important, unhappy customer.

If a customer relationship is on the line, such as when they threaten to leave, and you are able to retain the customer, you are valuable. What you do in these moments (and don’t do) is critical.

▸ When speaking to large groups.

If you get a chance to represent your team, say in front of the rest of the company, make that moment matter. It’s important not just for representing your own team, but how others in the organization perceive you.

▸ When key decisions are made.

When the team gets together to discuss the future of the company (e.g. a strategy offsite) and you have a seat at the table, make that seat count. I’ve been part of countless strategy meetings where most people don’t talk. That’s a waste of a seat.

▸ When you brief executives.

Nailing a direct, concise update in executive meetings is underrated. Give people exactly what they need to know, and nothing more. Stick to your bullets. This is not the time to surprise people or shed your emotion.

▸ When you meet the board.

The key is to make the company and other leaders look good. They look good by inviting someone smart who says something useful. Make your angle and insight count.

▸ The year before your next performance review.

Everyone wants to win the performance review happening right now. But the better moment is the year before the next performance review. Ask, “what can I do this year to set myself up for next year?” When you get an answer to that question, and then you do what was asked, it’s nearly impossible to deny you in the next performance review.

How to execute in the clutch

Nailing clutch moments is somewhat basic and simple: you need to prepare, practice, and give everything you have in these moments. You must execute with calm, despite the turmoil you feel inside.

Avoid and under-prepare for these high leverage moments at your own peril. No matter what you do outside of these moments, if you cannot execute when things are on the line, you will be limited in your opportunities.

If you get handed the ball in a clutch moment, you want to make that moment count. It may be the last chance you get.