Ep 086: Liz Wiseman on The Multiplier Effect

SUMMARY:

What kind of leader gets the most out of people? In this engaging talk from the 2013 Global Leadership Summit, best-selling author and CEO, Liz Wiseman, talks about the characteristics of “Multipliers” (leaders who empower and release others), and “Diminishers” (leaders who limit and restrict the potential of those they lead). Wiseman also shares subtle ways leaders function as “accidental diminishers,” and the most practical shift we can make in order to start becoming a better Multiplier.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• • • We have latent, unused intelligence all around us. There is more intelligence in our organizations and teams than we can see, and there’s more than what we are putting to use.

     

    • A “multiplier” uses their intelligence, gifts and abilities to amplify, magnify and multiply the capability of people around them.

     

    • When you lead like a multiplier, people around you do their best work. They become smarter and more capable.

     

    • A Multiplier believes that people are smart, and that they will figure it out. A Diminisher believes that no one will figure it out without them.

     

    	Diminishers	Multipliers
    What do they see?	People won’t figure it out without me.	People are smart and will figure it out.
    What do they do?
    – How do they manage talent?	Empire Builder	Talent Magnet
    – What kind of environments do they create?	Tyrant	Liberator
    – How do they set direction?	Know-It-All	Challenger
    – How do they make decisions?	Decision Maker	Debate Maker
    – How do they execute?	Micromanager	Investor
    How much capability do they get out of people?	48%	95%

     

     

    • People find working for a Multiplier to be exhausting, but exhilarating; hard but fun.

     

    • “Accidental Diminishers” are good leaders who are well-trained, have good intentions, but are still diminishing people through subtle, but diminishing, behaviors.

     

    • Idea Guy: “My ideas will spark creativity in others.”
    • Always-On: “My energy will be contagious.”

• • • Rescuer: “I must ensure peope are successful.”
    • Pacesetter: “If I set the standard, others will follow.”
    • Rapid Responder: “My fast decisions will keep us moving quickly.”
    • Optimist: “With the right attitude, we can do this!”

• Having any of these tendencies does not necessarily make you a Diminisher, but it does mean that you’re potentially vulnerable.

• If you want to immediately start becoming more of a Multiplier, stop explaining things to your team (or your family), and instead start asking questions.

• Don’t lead like a genius; lead like a genius-maker.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Have you encountered a “Diminisher” in your work life? What did they do?

• How much intelligence, or your overall capabilities, did they get out of you (0-100)?

2.  What about the Multipliers you’ve encountered? What did they do?

• How much intelligence, or your overall capabilities, did they get out of you (0-100)?

3.  Liz lays out what Diminishers and Multipliers see in their teams, and also some of the key ways that they Diminish or Multiply their team.

• Have you ever been on a team (or do you find yourself now) that’s been led by a Diminisher? How did it feel?
• How about a Multiplier? How did that feel?
• As a leader, where do you find yourself on her list of behaviors and perspectives?

4. Liz says that we can aspire to be great leaders but still be shutting down smart, capable people through six different “Accidental Diminisher” roles (The Idea Guy, The Always-On, The Rescuer, The Pace-Setter, The Rapid Responder, and The Optimist).

• Can you connect any of these identities with your own leadership style and activities?
• What practical steps might you take do reduce your Diminisher activities and instead take steps towards being more of a Multiplier for your team?

RELATED LINKS:

The Wiseman Group

Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

Man on Wire (movie)

The Global Leadership Summit

The Global Leadership Network