Manila, 1 June 2021 — Are you a Multiplier or a Diminisher?

Story

It happened in 2010. Taking the paradigm of ‘leadership being a process of influence’ to the next level, Liz Wiseman, an author, introduced the distinction between Multipliers and Diminishers in her book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter and her Harvard Business Review article Managing Yourself: Bringing Out the Best in Your People. I love the distinction she makes. 

Who are the Diminishers? Well, Wiseman suggests you think of colleagues or bosses you would describe as empire builders, tyrants, know-it-alls, solo decision-makers, or micro-managers. And I would add to that the habitual cynics, risk-averse coasters, and other play-it-safers. Get the drift? Wiseman’s point is this. If you qualify as a Diminisher, you will bring out less than half of the capability of the people around you. You fail to ignite them. That’s a disaster and one that we are all at risk of. 

By contrast, who are the Multipliers? Wiseman asks you to think about people in your workplace who are known as talent magnets, liberators of best thinking, challengers, debate makers, and investors who instill ownership and accountability. I would add to that the curious and caring listeners, perceptive meaning-makers, and inspiring facilitators. As a Multiplier, Wiseman says, you will be able to double the capability of the people around you. That’s a better proposition, right? So how to get there, to become a Multiplier?

Challenge

What Wiseman shows us with her distinction is how you can put your leadership practice, metaphorically, on steroids. That’s what Multipliers do. And it starts, very simply, with how you treat people around you in the workplace. We often point out that leadership happens in relationships, and that for that reason, the quality of your conversations is so important. 

Each encounter and exchange you have with a colleague, client, and partner, whether in person or online, is an opportunity to show up as a Multiplier. And if you don’t, you are probably showing up as the opposite, giving space to the Diminisher that lurks in all of us. That’s the power of the distinction. Every word and gesture in your conversations will matter in how you come across. The choice is yours each time. 

Showing up as a Multiplier requires a high degree of self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and effective leadership behaviors. The more you deepen and practice these, and receive valuable feedback on your communication, the better you will get.

Question

In working with groups of leaders in the #Grow3Leaders Challenge and one-to-one in the Leader in Transition Program, we unpack how to become a Multiplier. What resistance hurdles you need to overcome. What behaviors will form a solid foundation for you to build trust with others and influence change? And how to bring it all together? To ensure that you are igniting yourself to move from being an influencer to become a Multiplier. To get you started, check out these resources.

Here is my question to you this week. How strong is your desire to be a Multiplier for the people around you at work? Rate it on a scale of 1 to 10. 

If you feel any difficulty scoring your desire at 8 or higher, chances are that are giving space to the Diminisher in you to show itself.  If you choose to act on Liz Wiseman’s distinction by making your best choice every day, to become a Multiplier in every conversation, then you need to make sure that your leadership fire burns brightly and that you keep it that way.