Just what separates a good leader — someone who inspires others — from a bad one (someone who does the exact opposite)? Author Liz Wiseman calls these bad leaders “diminishers” — rather than “multipliers.” In her new business book of the same name, Wiseman explains how you can become the boss people love to follow.
How did you come up with the concept for “Multipliers”?
Well, it was through simple observation. I used to work at Oracle and worked closely with the executive teams. They were extremely intelligent people and had contagious smarts; however, some of them used their intelligence to dumb down others. I saw that and I just wondered “Why? Why did they have to make other people not feel as smart as they were?”
You claim there are two different types of leaders: The Diminisher and The Multiplier. Do all people fall into either one of these groups?
The people we studied were on either extreme. But most of us sit in-between — right on the bell curve.
What is an easy way for someone to find out what kind of leader they are?
Well, an easy way would be just to ask those you work with, “How am I doing?” It’s a simple question, but if you do think that you might be a diminisher, it may be best to conduct that survey [anonymously] so that there isn’t any animosity. However, if you think you’re a multiplier, you will probably be better doing a face-to-face conversation so you have the ability to reduce any tension.
