The Highest Performing Teams don’t just have the most talented, hardest working members – they are built upon a shared purpose, deep trust, and a desire to maximize impact.

Additionally, they embed the processes, values and contributions that enable them to master pressure, build resilience, and outperform.

As in any sports teams, each person has their position on the team. Each have their specific roles and goals, certain competencies and unique contributions that drive the team’s success.

While they share the same purpose, goals and values as their teammates, how they contribute to bring these to life, is unique.

This ‘how’ – their energy for impact – is always there but often hidden. If we can unearth it, articulate it and understand it about each other, we take our team to the next level.

The GC Index identifies these ‘hows’ as five key proclivities, each with a unique way of driving performance across the team. We have our own mix all 5:

🔹 Game Changers – Visionaries who challenge the status quo, push for bold ideas, and create transformational change. They inject energy into clarity, adaptability, and shared leadership by helping teams think bigger.

🔹 Strategists – The big-picture thinkers who align purpose with execution. They thrive in structuring collaboration, ensuring common purpose, and defining the roadmap for long-term success.

🔹 Implementers – Action-oriented drivers who turn ideas into reality. They ensure commitment, adaptability, and collaboration result in tangible outcomes by focusing on execution and discipline.

🔹 Polishers – Detail-focused perfectionists who refine, improve, and sustain high performance. They keep teams accountable, ensuring clarity, quality, and consistency in execution.

🔹 Play Makers – The relationship-builders who create cohesion and bring people together. They foster psychological safety, collaboration, and shared leadership, ensuring the team works seamlessly as one.

For me, as a Game Changer, Play Maker, it’s all about aligning and engaging people to go after possibilities. That’s why I founded Play Rugby USA and PurposeFused. It’s how I captained the rugby teams I led. It’s what drives me to live my purpose. What about you?

Which resonate most? Which do you feel are your top two?
Which teammates do you recognize in the above?

Every team needs a unique balance of these proclivities based upon what they are trying to achieve. Getting the balance right aligns, wellbeing, performance and impact. Grounding this all in purpose drives sustainable performance that hits results by reaching beyond success, to significance.