Get the most out of your team by leading like a “Multiplier”
I met Lyndee when she interviewed for an open revenue operations manager role on my team. After hearing me on a podcast discussing managing based on individual behavioral needs, she applied for a job 3,000 miles away to seek out the promise of doing that.
As we talked about the power of building excellent teams, Lyndee brought up Liz Wiseman’s book “Multipliers.” She spoke passionately about the concepts in the book, and I believed in her, so I added it to my Audible list immediately.
“Multipliers” struck a chord with me. Soon I had told all the people managers on my team about it and everyone had agreed to read it for our next book club. We all wanted to be a Multiplier, a leader who finds the best in the people on their team and maximizes it.
To be a Multiplier, you have to be okay with not being the resident genius
Wiseman told the Next Big Idea Club her idea formed when she “noticed that there were a lot of high-IQ people who had a knack for dumbing down their teams—they were smart, but nobody around them got to be smart.”
“You’ll no longer be the genius; you’ll become the genius-maker.”
As I discovered early on in my career, you can only accomplish so much on your own. But through a team, you can deliver more impactful results. It’s management 101.
As a Multiplier, you kick it up another notch: You adapt to each individual’s needs to help them be the best they can. You will no longer be the genius, but you’ll become the genius-maker.
Being a Multiplier requires putting the other person first. It requires focus and energy, too. But the benefits of multiplying growth compared to linear growth are well worth the effort.
What it looks like to be a Multiplier vs. a Diminisher
A key concept from “Multipliers” is that the same behavior that empowers some team members can be extremely diminishing for others—it can even make them feel powerless. It’s why me being warm and social works wonders with Sarah, but the same behavior makes Gabriela feel uncomfortable. It’s so critical to understand what makes each individual on your team tick.
At our book club, we reviewed each end of the Multiplier/Diminisher spectrum:
Empire Builders vs. Talent Magnets: Empire Builders look for great talent with the goal to build their own brand and their own success. Talent Magnets develop people everywhere, regardless of reporting structures. They identify the ways in which each person is brilliant and utilize their natural talents.
Tyrants vs. Liberators: Tyrants tend to own the conversation. They fail to engage the quiet voices and operate inconsistently without clear distinctions between opinions and policies. Liberators restrain themselves, making room for others to share their ideas. They clearly define high standards, recognize and learn from their own mistakes, and hold their teams accountable while encouraging them to be their best selves.
Know-it-alls vs. Challengers: Know-it-alls hold and display all the knowledge to show their value, but fail to encourage growth in others. Because of this, they hold their organizations back. Challengers ask thought-provoking questions that enable processes of discovery. By allowing others to fill in the blanks, challengers drive their teams to identify creative solutions that result in greater outcomes.
Decision Makers vs. Debate Makers: Decision Makers waste the organization’s resources by asking people for their opinion, but never taking it into account—or by excluding them from the debate process. Debate Makers leverage everyone’s intelligence and capabilities by encouraging rigorous, engaging, and educational debate for decisions with significant consequences. They excel at understanding how knowledge is distributed across the organization and they easily get people bought into their vision.
Micro-managers vs. Investors: Micro-managers fail to define ownership of responsibilities and encourage their team’s dependence on them by delegating without teaching. They fail to set goals and keep track of progress. Investors know their teams are smart, so they teach and coach, but remain available for back-up. They demand solutions when problems are identified and give their teams clear ownership so they can produce results independently.
Ask for feedback to see how you’re affecting your team (for better or worse)
I can see myself in some of these Diminisher and Multiplier behaviors. But for me, it’s important to get direct feedback to understand what affects my team in positive and negative ways.
With this goal in mind, every two months during weekly 1:1 meetings, I ask two questions:
What Multiplier behavior have I displayed that’s had the most positive impact on your success?
What Diminisher behavior have I displayed that’s slowed you down?
The answers are different depending on the person. Currently, they appreciate my Challenger and Investor behaviors but recognize those Challenger behaviors can also generate pain at times.
One action item you can implement today
If you agree that becoming a Multiplier can have a positive impact on your team, work on identifying your strengths and weaknesses in these behaviors, then choose one to maximize and one to improve. You might find the Are You an Accidental Diminisher? quiz helpful in this process.