Leadership Matters - October 2013

Leadership Thoughts:  Are you a ‘MulƟplier’ or ‘Diminisher’?

others – got vastly more out of their teams. In fact, people who worked for leaders who fit the “Multiplier” definition when asked to identify the percentage of their capability that was being used, was in the 70 to 100 percent range compared to the 20 to 50 percent range of capability used for those who worked for bosses who fit the “Diminisher” description. Diminishers often hire or collect great talent, but then micromanage that talent, delegating only small decisions. As mentioned earlier, there is another category of “accidental diminishers,” leaders who mean well but unintentionally can stifle people. Some examples Wiseman used included:

Are you a “Multiplier” or a “Diminisher” within your school district? The answer may not be as simple as it looks, according to Liz Wiseman, who wrote the best-selling book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. “There are accidental diminishers, leaders who, despite their good intentions, drain instead of amplify the

Michael Chamness IASA Director of Communications

innovation, productive effort and collective intelligence of the people around them,” said Wiseman, formerly a senior manager at Oracle Corporation who spoke recently at the Global Leadership Summit sponsored by the Willow Creek Association. During her 17 years as

The Idea Person: This person comes up with new idea after new idea, sending the team off in one direction one week and in a different direction the next week. Nothing gets done, and everyone else stops coming up with ideas because they come to understand that the only good ideas come from the top. The Always-On Person: This person dominates meetings with their ideas, opinions and thoughts. Everyone else eventually tunes them out. The Rescuer: If there is a problem, this person has the solution. The self-confidence of subordinates goes south because they don’t have any opportunity to solve their problems so they don’t even

the software giant’s vice president in charge of global talent development and head of the corporate Oracle University, Wiseman said she became a “genius watcher,” with a front-row seat to study leadership. She became intrigued by the differing management styles she observed in geniuses and genius-makers -- and the profound effect those contrasting styles had on people in their organizations. What followed was two years of study and research with Greg McKeown, who was studying at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. They studied more than 150 leaders and their practices and interviewed current and former members of their management teams. The end result was a stark difference showing that “Multipliers” – leaders who looked beyond their own genius and focused their energy on extracting and extending the genius of

make the attempt. The Pace-Setter: This high-energy person prides themselves in outworking everyone around them and always being out front. Others hold back and become spectators. The Optimist: To this person, everything is “can do” and every project can easily be accomplished by people who share the enthusiasm. Problem is, some things actually are hard to accomplish and

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