MULTIPLIERS HB

1. Multipliers amplify intelligence, while Diminishers drain it

Multipliers get twice the capability from people as do Diminishers.

Multipliers vs. Diminishers. Multipliers are leaders who use their intelligence to amplify the smarts and capabilities of people around them, making everyone smarter and more capable. In contrast, Diminishers are the idea killers and energy destroyers who drain intelligence and capability from their teams.

The Multiplier Effect. Multipliers get more than twice the capability from their people compared to Diminishers. They create an environment where:

• Ideas are generated with ease
• People learn rapidly and adapt to new environments
• Complex problems get solved
• Difficult tasks get accomplished

Core assumptions. The difference stems from their fundamental assumptions:

• Multipliers believe: "People are smart and will figure things out"
• Diminishers believe: "People won't figure this out without me"

These assumptions shape their leadership practices and ultimately determine how much of their team's intelligence and capability they can access and utilize.

2. The Talent Magnet: Attract and optimize talent

Talent Magnets create a cycle of attraction that accelerates performance and grows genius.

Attract and develop talent. Talent Magnets have a rich view of intelligence and talent. They:

• Look for talent everywhere, appreciating all types of genius
• Find people's native genius - what they do easily and freely
• Utilize people at their fullest, connecting them with opportunities
• Remove blockers, including prima donnas and themselves when necessary

Cycle of attraction. This approach creates a virtuous cycle:

1. A players are attracted to work with Talent Magnets
2. Their genius is discovered and fully utilized
3. They become smarter and more capable (A players become A+ players)
4. Their value increases, attracting more opportunities
5. The organization gains a reputation as "the place to grow"
6. More A players are attracted, replacing those who grow out

In contrast, Empire Builders (Diminishers) hoard resources, underutilize talent, and create a cycle of decline where talent stagnates and high performers leave.

3. The Liberator: Create intense environments that require best thinking

Liberators create an intense environment that requires people's best thinking and work.

Create space and demand rigor. Liberators maintain a duality of comfort and pressure:

• Create safety: Remove fear, shift the ratio of listening to talking, operate consistently
• Demand rigor: Ask challenging questions, pursue all sides of an issue, expect evidence

Generate rapid learning cycles. Liberators:

• Admit and share their own mistakes
• Insist on learning from mistakes
• Create an environment where it's safe to fail, but not to make the same mistake twice

The result: An intense (not tense) environment where:

• People offer their best and boldest thinking
• Everyone gives their full effort
• Team members take risks and learn quickly from mistakes

In contrast, Tyrants (Diminishers) create tense environments that suppress thinking and capability, leading to safe ideas and cautious work.

4. The Challenger: Extend challenges beyond what people know

Multipliers know that people grow through challenge.

Seed the opportunity. Challengers:

• Show the need, allowing others to discover opportunities
• Challenge assumptions that entrench old thinking
• Reframe problems to show opportunities
• Create a starting point, but not a complete solution

Lay down a challenge. They:

• Extend concrete challenges that create a huge stretch
• Ask hard questions that can't be answered with current knowledge
• Let others fill in the blanks, shifting the burden of thinking

Generate belief. Challengers:

• Demonstrate why it can be done
• Lay out a path
• Co-create the plan
• Orchestrate early wins

This approach builds the intellectual muscle, emotional energy, and collective intent to take on significant challenges. In contrast, Know-It-Alls (Diminishers) showcase their knowledge, tell people what to do, and limit what the organization can achieve to what they themselves know how to do.

5. The Debate Maker: Drive sound decisions through rigorous debate

Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate.

Frame the issue. Debate Makers:

• Define the question and form the right team
• Assemble critical data
• Clarify what needs to be addressed, why it's important, and how decisions will be made

Spark the debate. They create safety for best thinking while demanding rigor:

• Encourage all points of view and focus on facts
• Ask hard questions and challenge assumptions
• Look for evidence and pursue all sides of the issue

Drive a sound decision. Debate Makers:

• Reclarify the decision-making process
• Make the decision or explicitly delegate it
• Communicate the decision and rationale

This approach leads to sound decisions that people understand and can execute efficiently. In contrast, Decision Makers (Diminishers) engage only a small inner circle, leaving the broader organization in the dark and debating the soundness of decisions instead of executing them.

6. The Investor: Give ownership and invest in success

The reward for winning a pinball game is to get a chance to play the next one.

Define ownership. Investors:

• Name the lead and give them majority ownership (e.g., "51% of the vote")
• Give ownership for the end goal, not just a piece
• Stretch the role beyond current capabilities

Invest resources. They:

• Teach and coach, helping people learn what they need to know
• Provide backup, offering support without taking over

Hold people accountable. Investors:

• Give back ownership when they step in to help
• Expect complete work ("Don't give me an A-W-K without an F-I-X")
• Respect natural consequences
• Make the scoreboard visible

This approach creates independence and allows organizations to sustain performance without the leader's direct involvement. In contrast, Micromanagers (Diminishers) maintain ownership, jump in and out, and create dependency.

7. Becoming a Multiplier: Adopt the right mindset and practices

Give yourself permission to be better than your boss.

Work the extremes. Focus on:

1. Neutralizing your biggest weakness
2. Topping off your biggest strength

Start with assumptions. Adopt Multiplier mindsets:

• "If I can find someone's genius, I can put them to work"
• "People's best thinking must be given, not taken"
• "People get smarter by being challenged"
• "With enough minds, we can figure it out"
• "People are smart and will figure things out"

Take the 30-Day Multiplier Challenge. Pick one practice within one discipline and work it for 30 days. For example:

• Talent Magnet: Label people's genius in front of the group
• Liberator: Only speak in questions for an hour
• Challenger: Take your team on a "bus trip" to see needs firsthand
• Debate Maker: Frame a high-stakes decision for rigorous debate
• Investor: Give someone 51% ownership of a project

Sustain momentum:

1. Build it layer by layer, like Boléro
2. Stay with it for a year, holding a single question
3. Build a community for accountability and idea-sharing

By consistently applying these principles, leaders can shift from being a genius to a genius maker, unlocking the full intelligence and capability of their organizations.

Last updated: October 4, 2024