How being a multiplier doubles the intelligence of your team for free

For zero cost, you can double your team’s intelligence.

All it takes is becoming a “Multiplier” - leading in a way that brings out the best in other people. 

The Growth Faculty’s latest Time For Transformation masterclass “Multipliers - Unlock Your Team’s Potential” took delegates on a deep dive into New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Multipliers by Liz Wiseman.

Multipliers master practitioner Alyssa Gallagher said studies show employees use up to 90% of their intelligence when working for a “Multiplier” but less than 40% when working for “Diminisher” leaders.  

Multipliers increase intelligence with their mindset of “People are smart and will figure it out.” 

Multiplier traits:

·    Talent magnet – They attract and optimise talent

·    Liberator – They create space for best thinking, and they demand best work

·    Challenger – They extend stretch challenges for their employees

·    Debate Maker – They drive sound decisions through rigorous debate

·    Investor – They instill ownership and accountability in their employees

The Accidental Diminisher leads with the best of intentions but accidentally shuts down intelligence.

Accidental diminisher types, their behaviours, and the results of each: 

·    Idea fountain – Leader shares new ideas all the time. No-one knows what idea to work on. They stop executing ideas, and the team stops coming up with ideas.

·    Always on – Leader is gregarious and energetic, sharing stories, leading the parade. It’s exhausting because the leader takes up all the space.

·    Rescuer – Leader fixes things and solve problems. Individuals feel helpless and they stop using their own problems.

·    Pacesetter – Leader rolls up their sleeves and sets a cracking pace. People can’t keep up. Employees lose momentum.

·    Rapid responder – Leader jumps to immediate response. Team members wait and let the boss respond. Stop offering their intelligence.

·    Optimist – Leader is all “ra ra we can do this.” Team sees the leader as out of touch and with rose-coloured glasses.

·    Protector – Leader over-focused on making a safe, nice experience at work. Employees don’t grow. They don’t use their intelligence muscles.

·    Strategist – Leader builds a compelling vision, and expects the team to follow. But the team is excluded from the big thinking.

·    Perfectionist – Leader wants everything to be perfect. Employees feel they’re never good enough.

Simon Sinek is a strong advocate of multiplier leadership behaviours that make workplaces safer and more enjoyable. Check out our Simon Sinek virtual event coming soon.

6 behaviour shifts to lead more like a multiplier

·    Shift from giving answers to asking questions

·    Shift from taking responsibility to giving 51% of the vote to others. What does great look like? What does done look like? What is out of our scope?

·    Shift from taking over to giving the pen back (offer support instead of taking over the project). Consider naming a support person.

·    Shift from encouraging innovation to making space for mistakes. People will only innovate in areas where they think it’s okay to fail. Talk up your own mistakes.

·    Shift from hiring smart people to using native genius. Think about the intelligence already inside your team. Native genius is anything that comes naturally or freely to those on your team. Name the native genius (talent) of each team member. Appreciate people and give positive feedback.

·    Shift from delegating work to offering stretch challenges. Adjust the tension to the environment. 

To identify native genius in your employee:

·    Observation – be intellectually curious

·    Having conversations, and notice. What do they volunteer for? Where do they really excel? What do they naturally gravitate to?

Building a multiplier habit using the habit chain

The habit chain: Trigger – Behaviour – Surface Result – Hidden Reward – Consequence

Diminisher example:

·    Someone starts to miss milestones.

·    Diminisher behaviour: I want to jump in and take the lead on the project.

·    On the surface, things start moving to completion.

·    Diminisher reward: I feel important as a contributor and problem solver.

·    Diminisher consequence: They stop taking ownership in future challenges.

Multiplier example:

·    Someone starts to miss milestones.

·    Multiplier behaviour: I contribute but make sure I give the pen back.

·    On the surface, things start moving to completion.

·    Multiplier reward: They feel empowered and confident.

·    Multiplier consequence: They grow and trust they can share their struggles.

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