By Liz Wiseman, Greg McKeown
Leadership that amplifies intelligence
Subject
Themes
Organisations face mounting pressure to achieve more with limited resources. In this environment, leadership style becomes crucial. Some leaders drain intelligence from their teams, whilst others amplify it exponentially. This fundamental distinction between Multipliers and Diminishers shapes organisational success and employee capability.
Organisations face mounting pressure to achieve more with limited resources. In this environment, leadership style becomes crucial. Some leaders drain intelligence from their teams, whilst others amplify it exponentially. This fundamental distinction between Multipliers and Diminishers shapes…
Multipliers emerged during a pivotal moment in management thinking when organisations confronted fundamental challenges about leadership effectiveness and resource utilisation. Published in 2010 following the global financial crisis, the book addressed urgent questions about how to achieve more with…
The fundamental insight driving organisational performance lies in how leaders access and amplify the intelligence already present in their teams. Research across 150 leaders reveals a stark divide: some leaders extract nearly twice the capability from their people compared to others, creating what…
Organisations succeed or fail based on their ability to attract, develop, and deploy talent effectively. Two fundamentally different approaches emerge in practice. Some leaders operate as Talent Magnets, drawing talented people and utilising them at their highest point of contribution. Others…
Leaders fundamentally shape whether people offer their best thinking or withhold it. The difference between environments where intelligence flourishes and those where it withers comes down to how leaders create space for thinking whilst simultaneously demanding excellence. Multipliers operate as…
Direction-setting separates effective from ineffective leaders, yet how leaders establish direction matters enormously. Some leaders give directives showcasing their knowledge. Others seed opportunities that stretch organisations beyond current capabilities. Multipliers operate as Challengers,…
Leadership styles are not fixed traits inherited at birth or locked in during early career development. The capacity to multiply intelligence exists within every leader, waiting to be accessed and developed. Yet the journey from Diminisher to Multiplier requires more than simply learning new…
Gabriel Oz's experience as a young Israeli soldier illustrates a fundamental truth about leadership. Under one commanding officer, Yuval, Gabriel failed nearly every training maneuver despite having proven himself capable in actual combat. Yuval constantly mocked performance, jumped in to control…
Meg Whitman scrambled to get on Mitt Romney's project team at Bain & Company early in her career. Word spread amongst new consultants that he was the best boss because he knew how to lead teams and grow people. Everyone grew around Mitt. On his teams, people felt engaged. He took time understanding…
Corporate hierarchies create perfect setups for diminishing leadership. Organisational charts, titles, and approval matrices skew power toward the top, creating incentives for people to shut down and comply. Playing fields tilt towards senior leaders. Policies established for order unintentionally…
Direction-setting distinguishes effective leadership, yet how leaders establish direction matters profoundly. Know-It-Alls give directives showcasing their knowledge. They have answers for everything, making all decisions themselves or with single confidants before announcing them to organisations.…
Decision-making separates effective from ineffective organisations, yet how decisions get made matters enormously. Decision Makers make choices efficiently within small inner circles, leaving broader organisations in the dark to debate soundness of decisions instead of executing them. They…
Accountability separates organisations that deliver from those that flounder. Yet how leaders create accountability matters profoundly. Micromanagers drive results through personal involvement, holding tight to ownership, jumping into details, and directly managing outcomes. They believe their close…
Leadership styles are not fixed traits determined by personality or early career experiences. The capacity to multiply intelligence exists within every leader, accessible through deliberate effort and practice. Yet the journey from Diminisher to Multiplier requires more than learning new techniques.…
By Liz Wiseman, Greg McKeown
Subject
Themes
Organisations face mounting pressure to achieve more with limited resources. In this environment, leadership style becomes crucial. Some leaders drain intelligence from their teams, whilst others amplify it exponentially. This fundamental distinction between Multipliers and Diminishers shapes organisational success and employee capability.