In her book “Multipliers,” Liz Wiseman distinguishes between leaders who are “Multipliers” versus “Diminishers” by identifying five key behaviors. Even more importantly, what separates these types of leaders is the underlying assumptions these leaders make about people in their organization.Multipliers assume that “people are smart and will figure it out”and because their organization is full of talented people, they unleash the capability of their people and multiply the power of the resources they have. Conversely, Diminishers think that “people won’t figure it out without me” and that leads to people shutting down and not contributing their ideas and talents, which in turn results in reduced efficiency and not leveraging critical resources.
Wiseman outlines the Five Disciplines of the Multiplier Leader as:
- THE TALENT MAGNET – Attracts talented people and uses them at their highest point of contribution (versus the “Empire Builder” who hoards resources and underutilizes talent).
- THE LIBERATOR – Creates an intense work environment that requires people’s best thinking and work (versus the “Tyrant” who creates a tense environment that suppresses people’s thinking and capability).
- THE CHALLENGER – Defines an opportunity that causes people to stretch (versus the “Know-It-All” that gives directives that showcase how much they know).
- THE DEBATE MAKER – Drives sound decisions through rigorous debate (versus the “Decision Maker” who makes centralized, abrupt decisions).
- THE INVESTOR – Gives other people ownership for results and invests in their success (versus the”Micromanager” who drives results through their personal involvement).
What I appreciate about Wiseman’s approach is that it aligns with the internal motivations discovered in Daniel Pink’s research for his book, Drive. Pink discovered that external rewards such as money and promotions are not as satisfying in the long-run as the three internal rewards of Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Autonomy is about letting employees determine how and when to complete their work. A leader’s role is to help establish criteria for what constitutes a successful outcome from a project, not micromanage all the details. Mastery is allowing people to overcome challenges and master their tasks at work. There is an inherent sense of satisfaction when we solve a problem or master a skill. Purpose is about connecting the dots for the employee between their work and the “why” or mission of the company. How is their work connected to the greater good?
Like in all things, most leaders cannot be categorized simply as Multipliers or Diminishers. There is a continuum and most leaders fall somewhere along the spectrum between the two extremes. To that end, Wiseman has some suggested “Multiplier Experiments” in the appendix, including some signs to identify whether a leader is a Multiplier or Diminisher:
- Is their talk/listen ratio high OR low? (High talk/listen ratio is more likely to be a Diminisher; Low ratio more likely to be a Multiplier.)
- Asks follow-up questions out of curiosity OR accepts surface-level answers. (Asks questions = Multiplier; accepts face-value = Diminisher).
- Asks “why” to better understand OR only focuses on “what” and “how” questions (“Why” questions* are asked by Multipliers and are a way to mine for greater understanding).
- Shares multiple perspectives on issues OR is emphatic with ideas. (Multipliers see various perspectives and ways to solve a situation; Diminishers see one right answer).
- Shows sincere self-deprecation and laughs OR takes themselves very seriously. (Multipliers are okay being vulnerable and letting others see who they really are).
Wiseman shares so many illustrative charts, examples, and stories, that it’s hard to fully summarize all of her tips and tools in this article. But her book is certainly going on my book shelf and I will refer to it often!
Click here for The Wiseman Group’s website and the Multipliers book
*Side Note: I disagree with Wiseman’s suggestion to ask “why” questions. “Why” questions automatically put people on the defensive. Instead, ask questions that get to the underlying purpose or motivation, but start with “what,” “how,” or “when” instead. For example, “What problem were you trying to solve when you . . . ?”