Every professional line of work has its “rock stars.” Not the Elon Musk’s who crossover into mainstream culture, but the niche icons, the people who are respected household names within their field but essentially anonymous outside of it.

These people play a vital role in our professional lives. They not only set the agenda for the industry and spur any number of new developments - they’re our role models. They give us something that is often missing from the day-to-day grind: someone to look up to, someone to admire as well as respect.

When we have the chance to meet such people, we often find that we are more aware of their success and their impact on the field than they are.

For example, Martin seemed surprised and bemused at how George was a bit star struck during their first call to talk about this book. Martin didn’t realize what George did: that if you have anything to do with sport science, the chance to talk to - let alone work with - Martin Buchheit is a Big [you know what] Deal.

But Martin has been on the other side of that kind of interaction himself.

On the Supporting Champions podcast, host Steve Ingham brought up the notion of the “Level 5 Leader” from Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great.” Steve described them as:

[T]he people who outstrip the competition, have a paradoxical blend of humility and driven personal will. There’s a combined effect there: I have a grounded view of myself but I am going to make things happen. This is a no-nonsense approach to that. It doesn’t mean you’re pulling your punches, it means you’re going to achieve from that.

Martin described his meeting with someone like that, a rock star of exercise physiology (yes, there are such people!), Enrico di Prampero.

“Of course, we know very well the work of Enrico di Prampero. He’s the leader in the physiology of the energy cost of running. The two of us, Steve, must have cited him 50-100 times!

“I was lucky enough to meet him in 2010 working at the French Football Federation. We invited him when he was just starting to talk about this metabolic power concept. He responded to the invitation, and it was a privilege for me to meet Professor di Prampero.

“We invite him for lunch, and of course I’ve read every single paper he’s wrote, I know his H-Index score, I know everything from him - he’s a legend! We talk about many things, and I asked him ‘What’s the paper that you think made the most impact?’ And he doesn’t even understand why I’m asking this. And then I talk about the citation index, the H-index. He doesn’t even know what it is, and he has one of the biggest H-index of any of us. And he doesn’t care, he doesn’t know what that is.

“And you say, OK, this guy changed the world of physiology. But when I say to him, ‘but what has been your drive?’ He says, ‘I was happy because this was what I liked and has always been my passion. I wanted just to help others in the community think better.’”

Far from being intimidating or in your face about their accomplishments, people like Professor di Prampero seem almost unaware of the impact they have had. Their work and their enjoyment of it are ends in themselves. What’s an H-index - or any other measure of status - compared to that level of personal fulfillment and professional satisfaction?

EGOal: Ask the rock stars of your industry how they view their impact

If you have the opportunity… or, better yet, create the opportunity for you to talk with one of the rock stars of your industry. First, you may need to take some time to figure out who they are. That alone is a worthwhile endeavor.

Ask them how they view the impact they’ve had and the status they’ve achieved. Are they consciously aware of it? Maybe too aware of it? Or have they been so busy doing what they love that they didn’t realize that this whole time they’ve been changing the world, or at least their corner of it?

What does that say to you about your own goals and ambitions?

And, of course, listen to the rest of the Supporting Champions podcast:

Photo credit: Departement des Yvelines / Flickr, under CC BY-ND 2.0.