Multiplier or Diminisher: Which one are you? [Infographic]

Liz Wiseman

Quick workarounds to help leaders boost the brainpower around them

Are you a Multiplier or Diminisher? In their research-based book, Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, authors Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown report finding patterns of behavior among leaders who consistently get more from their employees (Multipliers) and conversely among those whose behaviors have the opposite effect (Diminishers).

"As we studied Multipliers and Diminishers, we heard case after case of smart individuals being underutilized by their leaders. We heard their frustration as they told us how little some leaders got from them, despite how hard they were working and how they tried to give more," Wiseman and McKeown write.

But they also tell of successful leaders able to create and grow genius all around them.  Consider these two:

• Lutz Ziob, general manager of Microsoft Learning, whose team says of him, "He creates an environment where good things happen. He recruits great people, allows them to make mistakes, and ferociously debates the important decisions. He demands our best, but then shares the success with the whole team."
• Sue Siegel, former biotech president turned venture capitalist for Mohr Davidow Ventures (MDV), whose partner says, "There is a Sue effect. Everything around her gets better and companies grow under her guidance. I often wonder what people are like when they aren't around Sue."