"Multipliers" and "Diminishers" - Different Leadership Styles

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~ Thomas Jefferson

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Executives and leaders in corporate and entrepreneurial business environments obviously have individual leadership styles, and there are two major ones.

"Multipliers" see people as intelligent and capable of solving, while "Diminishers", on the other hand, assume that even smart people need their help.

But the real?difference?between these two types isn't based on good intentions or intelligence but on how a?leader?treats the people around them as part of their leadership style.

THE RESEARCH

As part of her research, Liz Wiseman, author of?the New York Times Bestseller "Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter" [1] and CEO of the Wiseman Group, interviewed 150 in 35 countries and uncovered an interesting statistic.

Leaders classified as "multipliers" got twice as much effort from their employees than "diminishers"; in fact, "diminishers", on average, got only 48% of people's "intelligence and capability" for a workplace's output.

MULTIPLIERS

So what qualities really define a "multiplier" and a "diminisher"??

Unlike what we first might think of what the word implies, "multipliers" are NOT people who make others feel good all the time, nor are they constantly positive.

Instead, they find ways to empower others, and they have the following attributes:

? They are?magnets who attract and optimise talent and liberators. But, still, they also create challenges for those talents as a way to build intensity, which will get people's full attention, effort and best thinking.

? They debate, which includes discussing with those around them in the decision-making process as well as their employees.

? They don't provide easy answers but instead keep people under pressure and ask questions to help them find a solution.

? They hold people accountable and help others feel they own their actions.

And by doing some of these or even all of those things, they get twice as much capability from the people they lead!

DIMINISHERS

On the other hand, "diminishers" seem to be easy to recognise as they are known for the following attributes:

? They are empire builders who hoard and underuse the available talent of others.

? They are tyrants and know-it-alls who create anxiety, oppress thinking and tell people what to do.

? They are the micromanagers who take over control, thus also decision-makers who make isolated decisions.

And what they get in return is less than half of people's capability!

ACCIDENTAL DIMINISHERS

Obviously, no one in a position of leadership or authority?will openly say that they are "diminishers" and will fully claim to be a rightful and masterful "multiplier"!

Interestingly, though, Wiseman also found in her research that many leaders with good intentions also created a negative environment for their teams.

She calls these people "Accidental Diminishers," and they often possess one or more of the following attributes:

? They think too big, and as (self)declared "visionaries", they are good at seeing the grand vision of a plan but bad at connecting the dots for those around them, which leads to a lack of enthusiasm, as others can't see a way to achieve their goals.

? They think too much, but lacking vision isn't the problem. The lack of focus that comes with each new idea is. So, in many cases, those they lead become frustrated by the constant change in direction and don't have enough time to see their original ideas through.

? They help too much, and as self-assigned "rescuers", they believe they are helping their team when, in reality, they are creating dependency.

CONCLUSION

A practical takeaway for anyone tasked with the execution of leadership is knowing how "multipliers" and "diminishers" work.

It's worth paying attention to the people they're around and how they react to them, and it may be even more important to notice how those people respond.

Because in the end, executives and leaders will always have characteristics of the "multiplier", "diminisher", or even accidentally a mixture of all of them.

Someone in a designated leadership position should not assume they're the best leader they can be because the reality is that few people are!

Evidently, most excellent leaders work with professionals on the ongoing?improvement of their leadership skills and style.

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[1] Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

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