A+ vs A Players

After managing close to a hundred people across fast growing teams, a clear pattern shows up.

Most high performers are already strong. They are skilled. They are reliable. They take ownership of their work and operate with high agency.

Those are A players.

A+ players look similar on the surface, but the impact they create is categorically different. They do not just execute inside the system. They expand it. They increase leverage, reduce friction, and make everyone around them more effective.

The difference is not effort or intelligence. It is how they behave once the basics are already mastered.

Here are the 4 principles of A+ players.

👊 A+ Players Seize Power

A players wait for ownership to be assigned.
A+ players assume responsibility the moment they see a gap.

They do not confuse permission with progress. When something is unclear, missing, or broken, they move first and communicate as they go. They propose direction rather than asking for one. They bring a starting point instead of a blank page.

This is not recklessness. It is controlled initiative with context attached.

They understand that in scaling environments, power flows to those who reduce ambiguity. Authority follows action, not the other way around.

🔄 A+ Players Close the Loop Relentlessly

A players focus on delivering the work.
A+ players focus on delivering certainty.

They recognize that silence is one of the fastest ways to erode trust and slow momentum. So they over communicate progress, blockers, and changes in direction.

Closing the loop becomes a habit. Not because someone asked, but because they know others are planning around them.

This behaviour scales. One person who reliably resets expectations removes dozens of follow ups, pings, and meetings across a team.

This newsletter is not for everyone.

It’s for A+ players. People with agency, leverage, and too many tabs open.

• 63,000 founders and operators read Ajay’s Quest.

• 1,200+ are running companies big enough to hurt if they choose the wrong tool.

If your product belongs in that world, sponsorships are open. Reply back for details.

📈 A+ Players Force Alignment and Convergence

A players refine their output.
A+ players force decisions.

They are allergic to fuzzy alignment. When feedback is vague or directions diverge, they do not continue polishing in isolation. They intervene early to create convergence.

They structure decisions. They narrow options. They turn open ended discussion into clear choices. Rather than asking for more feedback, they design paths to alignment. Syncs become shorter. Async becomes clearer. Momentum increases.

This is how velocity is preserved as teams grow.

⁉️ A+ Players Ask Better Questions

A players take feedback at face value.
A+ players interrogate it until the real signal appears.

They understand that unclear feedback usually means unclear thinking, not bad intent. Instead of reacting emotionally or guessing, they ask precise questions that surface what actually matters.

Is this a goal problem or an execution problem

Is this about priority, sequencing, or taste

Is the discomfort about risk or clarity

These questions turn ambiguity into action. Over time, this skill compounds into trust, speed, and better decisions across the system.

Closing Thoughts: The Throughline

A players are valuable because they execute well.
A+ players are rare because they make the system itself work better.

They reduce waiting.
They reduce uncertainty.
They reduce misalignment.

In doing so, they create leverage far beyond their individual output. That is why the gap between A and A+ widens as companies scale.

Talent gets you in the door. System expanding behaviour is what makes you indispensable.

Until next time,

Ajay

🧠 Ajay’s Resource Bank

A few tools and collections I’ve built (or obsessively curated) over the years:

• 100+ Mental Models
  Mental shortcuts and thinking tools I’ve refined over the past decade. These have evolved as I’ve gained experience — pruned, updated, and battle-tested.

• 100+ Questions
  If you want better answers, ask better questions. These are the ones I keep returning to — for strategy, reflection, and unlocking stuck conversations.

• Startup OS
  A lightweight operating system I built for running startups. I’m currently adapting it for growth teams as I scale Superpower — thinking about publishing it soon.

• Remote Games & Activities
  Fun team-building exercises and games (many made in Canva) that actually work. Good for offsites, Zoom fatigue, or breaking the ice with distributed teams.

✅ Ajay’s “would recommend” List

These are tools and services I use personally and professionally — and recommend without hesitation:

• Athyna – Offshore Hiring Done Right
  I personally have worked with assistants overseas and built offshore teams. Most people get this wrong by assuming you have to go the lowest cost for automated work. Try hiring high quality, strategic people for a fraction of the cost instead.

• Superpower – It starts with a 100+ lab tests
  I joined Superpower as Head of Growth, but I originally came on to fix my health. In return, I got a full diagnostic panel, a tailored action plan, and ongoing support that finally gave me clarity after years of flying blind.