Why I chose to read this book?
Because my boss gifted it to me 😉
My Rating:
4/5
Personal take-away:
Enjoyable book full of many real-life stories that supported the key contrasts between “Multipliers” and “Diminishers”. The mix of stories with practical tips to work towards becoming a Multiplier was a very effective way to write a book which can be referenced over and over again.
Summary:
As the author Liz Wiseman suggests, any leader can be placed on a spectrum between being a Multiplier (good) and being a Diminisher (bad). The book aims to help us move away from a Diminisher style of leadership towards being more of a Multiplier, stating that there is at least a 2x greater return on resources for Multipliers vs Diminishers.
- Multiplier is a leader who amplifies the smartness and capabilities of the people around them.
- Diminisher is a leader who drains intelligence, energy and capability from the ones around them and always needs to be the smartest one in the room.
- Five different roles that a Multiplier plays:
- The Talent Magnet – looks for talent everywhere, finds people’s native genius, utilises people to their fullest and removes blockers.
- The Liberator – creates space (to think, speak, and act), demands the best work and generates rapid learning cycles.
- The Challenger – seeds the opportunity, lays down the challenge and then generates belief in what is possible.
- The Debate Maker – frames the issue, sparks the debate and drives a sound decision.
- The Investor – defines ownership, invests resources and holds people accountable.
- Here is how to be a multiplier:
- Ask questions: A Multiplier asks questions constantly, and then listens intently. They listen far more than they speak.
- Native genius: Multipliers go looking for native genius in everyone around them. A native genius is something that people do, not only exceptionally well, but absolutely naturally. They do it easily (without extra effort) and freely (without condition)
- Calmness is not synonymous with softness: Multipliers remain calm even when under pressure, but are intensely focussed. They create environments that are intense not tense.
- Make your own mistakes known: If you as a leader share your mistakes, then others will be far more willing to share theirs. As a result, you’ll breed a culture of transparency where mistakes are not punished but learned from.
Take this quiz to find out if you are an accidental diminisher.