A New Year resolution could potentially cover anything under the sky. It could range from making a habit of reading to waking up early in the morning and never being late to work; it could also be a commitment to losing weight or seeking out a new job to get out of a deadlock. Obviously, these resolutions pass off either as a bout of enthusiasm or are pursued with tenacity.
For those of us in leadership roles, there is no dearth of ideas to choose from; it could be increased delegation or improving work-life balance. But this is not what the article is about. What I propose for consideration is something different — something that will make a huge difference to our teams and as a result, to our organisations.
All about multipliers
Liz Wiseman, former Vice-President of Oracle University and currently the President of The Wiseman Group, has extensively studied how leaders can double the energy and productivity of people in their organisations, based on their assumptions and the resulting actions. Her studies have revealed that managers can either be and behave like “multipliers” or like “diminishers.”
When Liz studied leadership, she discovered that there are leaders who get the best out of people. In his or her presence, everyone seems to be more intelligent and capable. In meetings, ideas seem to fly around the table and are debated. Even tough problems are solved with ease. They are the multipliers.
There is another type of leader who sucks the oxygen out of the room. They ask questions to which they already know the answer, just so they can flaunt their intelligence or belittle an employee inside the room. These are the diminishers.
Multipliers and Diminishers are known by their following distinct characteristics :
These may remind us of the early work that Douglas McGregor did, by calling them Theory X and Theory Y.
What makes this framework more helpful is the clear description of measurable behaviours that clearly show whether you, as a leader, are a multiplier or a diminisher. Using it as a tool, you can make a quick assessment of where you are and where you need to improve.
Liz Wiseman asserts that “multiplier leaders” can harness almost twice as high a productivity as “diminisher leaders”. The choice for both organisations and the individual leaders is, therefore, very clear.
Be the multiplier
Practical tips on how to bring each of the designated multiplier-leader behaviours alive at work, as well as recognising diminisher-leader behaviour in us so we can work to remove them, are richly detailed in Liz Wiseman’s bestselling book, Multipliers .
It is important to recognise that “multipliers” do not necessarily do more with less. They actually accomplish more with more… more of their people’s intelligence and capability. Their styles and behaviours tap into more talent that is already inside the people they manage. They are not “feel-good” managers, and are not about cupcakes and kisses.
While multipliers are talent magnets, diminishers are empire builders. While they may both attract talent, what is different is what they do with it. Multipliers operate as liberators, while diminishers behave like tyrants; multipliers operate as challengers, whereas diminishers conduct themselves as know-it-alls.
So, who will you be this New Year?
To read more from the From the Coach section, click here .