Leadership Business Management

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter (Summary)

by Liz Wiseman

Have you ever worked for a manager who was a certified genius, but left you feeling drained, unheard, and a little bit stupid? This isn't because they were a bad person. It’s because they were an 'Accidental Diminisher'—a well-intentioned leader whose attempts to be helpful, like jumping in to solve every problem or being the 'idea guy,' were actually suffocating their team's intelligence.

You're Either a Genius or a Genius Maker

Leaders fall on a spectrum from 'Diminishers' to 'Multipliers.' Diminishers believe they are the smartest person in the room and need to dispense knowledge, getting less than 50% of their team's capability. Multipliers use their intelligence to amplify the smarts of others, getting nearly 100% of their team's brainpower.

In a study of 150 leaders, Wiseman's research team found a stunning difference in output. People working for Diminishers reported that, on average, only 48% of their knowledge and capability was being used. In contrast, people working for Multipliers felt they contributed an average of 95% of their full intelligence.

Good Intentions Can Make You a Bad Boss

Most Diminishers aren't tyrants; they are 'Accidental Diminishers.' They are well-meaning leaders whose strengths, when overused, have a diminishing effect. These personas include the 'Rescuer' who constantly solves problems for others, or the 'Pacesetter' who leads by example so fast that no one else can keep up or contribute.

A manager who acts as 'The Rescuer' sees a team member struggling with a tough project. Wanting to be helpful, the manager steps in and fixes the problem themselves. While the immediate issue is resolved, the employee feels disempowered, fails to learn, and becomes more dependent on the manager for future problems.

Stop Providing Answers, Start Asking Questions

Instead of being the fountain of all knowledge, Multipliers act as 'Challengers.' They create space for others to think by asking difficult, insightful questions that stretch the team and shift the ownership of problem-solving from the leader to the group.

When a marketing team was brainstorming a new product launch, a Multiplier leader didn't present a pre-baked plan. Instead, she asked, 'What if we had to launch this with a zero-dollar marketing budget? What would we do?' This challenging question forced the team to abandon conventional thinking and generate truly innovative, low-cost strategies they owned completely.

Create Intense Pressure, But Give Ample Space

Multipliers are not soft, hands-off leaders. They are 'Liberators' who create an intense environment that demands people's best work, but they also provide psychological safety. They give people room to think, experiment, and even fail, knowing that mistakes are critical for learning and innovation.

George C. Marshall, U.S. Army Chief of Staff during WWII, was famously demanding. He once gave a young officer an enormous strategic task and a tight deadline. When the officer returned, admitting he hadn't fully solved it, Marshall didn't reprimand him. He said, 'That's okay, I knew you couldn't. I just wanted to see what you could do with it.' He created intense pressure but gave the officer the safety to try and come up short, fostering immense growth.

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