I just finished a book club reading for "The Multiplier Effect: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter" by Liz Wiseman in my work place. It explores the difference between leaders who diminish their teams and those who multiply their team's intelligence and capability, offering great insights and practical strategies to help individuals and organizations build a multiplier culture.
In this article, we will discuss how to identify diminishers and build a multiplier culture.
Identifying Diminishers:
Diminishers are leaders who often unintentionally create a stifling and stressful work environment. They tend to micromanage, stifle ideas, and monopolize decision-making processes. They often assume that they are the smartest person in the room and do not leverage the intelligence and capability of their team members.
Below are a few characteristics of diminishers mentioned in the book:
- Hoarder of Information: Diminishers tend to hoard information and do not share it with their team. They feel that if they share information, they may lose their power.
- Micromanager: Diminishers tend to micromanage their team members. They do not trust their team members' capabilities and tend to involve themselves in every decision-making process.
- Know-it-all: Diminishers tend to think that they know everything and do not seek the opinions or ideas of their team members.
- Decision-maker: Diminishers tend to make decisions without seeking input from their team members. They often make decisions based on their own opinions and ideas.
Are you a diminisher? If so, it's okay! I realised that I had diminisher qualities while reading with the book club and identifying those attributes is the first step toward improving and building a Multiplier culture. There are even accidental diminishers that we do that we don't realize are dimisher behaviors. For more information click here: https://thewisemangroup.com/find-your-diminishers/
Building a Multiplier Culture
A Multiplier is a leader who leverages the intelligence and capability of their team members. They create a work environment that is conducive to creativity, innovation, and collaboration. Multipliers make everyone on their team feel valued and appreciated, which leads to increased engagement and productivity.
Here are some strategies to build a multiplier culture:
- Create a Safe Environment: Multipliers create a safe environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions without fear of being judged. Multipliers encourage their team members to speak up and provide constructive feedback.
- Share Information: Multipliers share information freely with their team members. They believe that sharing information empowers their team members and leads to better decision-making.
- Delegate Responsibility: Multipliers delegate responsibility to their team members. They trust their team members' capabilities and allow them to make decisions and take ownership of their work.
- Seek Input: Multipliers seek input from their team members. They believe that everyone on their team has valuable insights and ideas to offer.
- Celebrate Success: Multipliers celebrate the success of their team members. They understand that their success is a team effort and take the time to recognize and appreciate their team members' contributions.
Building a multiplier culture requires leaders to identify their own leadership style and make a conscious effort to create an environment that leverages the intelligence and capability of their team members. It requires leaders to trust their team members' capabilities and create a safe environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions. By implementing these strategies, leaders can build a multiplier culture that leads to increased engagement, productivity, and success.
What are you doing to remove Diminisher behavior? And What are you doing to build a Multiplier culture in your work place?
Citation:
Wiseman, Liz. Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. Harper Business, 2017.