Multipliers

How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

leadership
management
business

1 Listen to Multipliers Summary

2 Book Summary: Multipliers by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown

The central idea of “Multipliers” is that leaders fall on a spectrum between two distinct types: Multipliers and Diminishers. While both types of leaders are often highly intelligent, their impact on their teams is profoundly different. Multipliers use their intelligence to amplify the smarts and capabilities of everyone around them, resulting in an organisation that is more intelligent, innovative, and effective. In contrast, Diminishers, often unintentionally, drain the intelligence and energy from their teams, leaving people underutilised. The book reveals that Multipliers get over twice the capability from their people as Diminishers do.

2.1 The Core Difference: Multipliers vs. Diminishers

The fundamental difference lies in their core assumptions about people and intelligence.

  • Diminishers operate under the assumption that “People will never figure this out without me.” They see intelligence as a rare commodity that they possess, leading them to tell, decide, and control.
  • Multipliers believe that “People are smart and will figure this out.” They see intelligence in everyone and work to cultivate and harness it, leading them to ask, challenge, and empower.

This difference in mindset leads to five key disciplines that distinguish Multipliers from Diminishers.

2.2 The 5 Disciplines of a Multiplier

  1. The Talent Magnet (vs. The Empire Builder)

    • Multipliers are Talent Magnets. They attract and optimally deploy talented people, using them at their highest point of contribution. People flock to work for them because they know they will be stretched and will grow. They ignore organisational boundaries to find and use genius wherever it exists.
    • Diminishers are Empire Builders. They hoard resources and underutilise talent. They acquire smart people to build their own kingdom but often keep them in narrow boxes, causing talent to languish.

  2. The Liberator (vs. The Tyrant)

    • Multipliers are Liberators. They create an intense yet safe environment that demands people’s best thinking. They release people’s best ideas by creating space and removing fear, fostering a climate of creativity and bold thinking.
    • Diminishers are Tyrants. They create a tense and judgmental environment that suppresses thinking. People become cautious, share only safe ideas, and avoid taking risks for fear of criticism.

  3. The Challenger (vs. The Know-It-All)

    • Multipliers are Challengers. They define opportunities that cause people to stretch beyond what they know. They seed opportunities, ask the hard questions, and generate belief that the impossible is possible, rather than providing all the answers themselves.
    • Diminishers are Know-It-Alls. They give directives that showcase how much they know. By providing all the answers, they limit the organisation’s achievement to the scope of their own knowledge.

  4. The Debate Maker (vs. The Decision Maker)

    • Multipliers are Debate Makers. They drive sound decisions by engaging the team in rigorous debate. By framing the right questions and demanding evidence, they ensure decisions are understood and owned by the team, leading to faster and more effective execution.
    • Diminishers are Decision Makers. They make decisions centrally, either alone or with a small inner circle. This leaves the broader organisation confused and left to debate the soundness of the decision rather than executing it.

  5. The Investor (vs. The Micromanager)

    • Multipliers are Investors. They give other people ownership for results and invest in their success. They provide the necessary resources and coaching but hold people accountable, creating independent teams that can deliver without their constant oversight.
    • Diminishers are Micromanagers. They drive results through personal involvement, jumping into the details and creating dependency. When they leave, performance often collapses.

One of the book’s key insights is that most Diminishers are not malicious; they are “Accidental Diminishers.” They are often well-intentioned leaders who think they are being helpful. Their diminishing tendencies stem from praiseworthy traits that are overextended. For example:

  • The Idea Guy: Their constant stream of new ideas can cause organisational whiplash.
  • The Rescuer: By “saving” their team members from failure, they create dependency.
  • The Pacesetter: Their desire to lead by example can cause others to give up trying to keep up.

Recognising these accidental tendencies is the first step toward becoming a Multiplier.

2.3 Other key ideas

The book’s research shows a quantifiable difference in output between the two leadership styles.

  1. Extracting Intelligence: People working for Diminishers report giving between 20-50% of their capability. In contrast, people working for Multipliers report giving 70-100% of their capability. The net result is that Multipliers get nearly twice the capability from their people.

  2. Extending Intelligence: Multipliers don’t just use intelligence; they grow it. People report feeling that Multipliers get more than 100% from them because they are stretched and become more capable in the process. This creates a “growth bonus” on top of the 2X effect.

The journey to becoming a Multiplier can start with small, deliberate shifts.

  1. Work the Extremes: You don’t need to master all five disciplines at once. Identify your biggest Diminisher tendency and work to neutralise it. At the same time, identify your strongest Multiplier discipline and work to make it a towering strength.
  2. Start with the Assumptions: Consciously adopt a Multiplier assumption, such as “People are smart and will figure it out.” Ask yourself, “In what way is this person smart?” This shift in mindset will naturally lead to more multiplying behaviours.
  3. Take the 30-Day Challenge: Pick one specific Multiplier practice - like asking more questions or handing back the pen—and practice it consciously for 30 days to build a new habit.

2.4 Key Phrases and Questions of a Multiplier

  • In what way is this person smart?
  • What is your “Mission Impossible?”
  • What do you think? What do we know? What is the right question to ask?
  • I’m happy to help, but you are still in the lead on this.
  • Don’t ever give me an A-W-K (awkward problem) without an F-I-X (a proposed solution).
  • You’re smart. You’ll figure it out.

3 Summary Video

4 Practise

The book emphasises that becoming a Multiplier is a learnable skill that begins with small experiments. Let’s try one.

The Extreme Question Challenge: In your next team meeting or one-on-one conversation, commit to only asking questions. Resist the urge to give answers, state your opinion, or provide solutions. Your goal is to use questions to guide the other person’s thinking process. Observe what happens.

  • How does the dynamic of the conversation change?
  • What new ideas or solutions emerge from the other person?
  • How much “space” did this create for them to contribute?

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