LEADERSHIP

Multiply What Matters Most – the Genius Around You

Cheyenne Sweeney

March 10, 2021

We all like to think we’re pretty great leaders, right? Until you remember an encounter from last month with one of your staff members. “I wonder if he remembers that? Nah, there’s no way he could. That was just one day out of so many. Overall, I’m generally a pretty good boss. At least, I like to think so,” you think to yourself. But do you know for sure? Does thinking it make it true?

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou

I remember some pretty tough bosses of my own. I can tell you about times they frustrated me and what that was like. And I can tell you about times they made me happy or laugh and what that was like. Overall, I have this feeling, similar to a score, of how they made me feel. And that is what matters to me.

So, how can you ensure you’re creating and leaving a positive leadership legacy for yourself and your team? Everyone has bad days, sure. But you need to have the good days outnumber the bad ones. How?

Become a Multiplier leader. Multipliers get 200% more capability from their employees than Accidental Diminishers do.

What does it mean to be a “Multiplier Leader?”

Wait, Cheyenne, you’re using words I don’t understand. Ok, let me slow down and explain.

• The Diminisher: This person in a leadership position thinks they totally rock and are almost always right. They struggle to let their team have any sort of autonomy. They try to be the smartest person in the room. This person crushes the spirit of their team by consistently taking control of projects or decisions, even after they’ve delegated them out.
• The Accidental Diminisher: This leader means well in all they do but can sometimes negatively impact the team. An example is a positive leader who always wears their “rose-colored glasses,” and tries to encourage their team, cheering them to success. However, unfortunately, team members may view this leader as unrealistic and not grasping how difficult this project is for her team.
• The Multiplier: This leader makes geniuses instead of flaunting their own. They give autonomy and courage to their team to activate the BEST in each individual. This leader delegates a task/project to a team member and is excited to hear their take on how they will address the challenge! And when this leader hears their employee’s take, they are generally excited about what the person decided because the leader knows their team member is the best person for the job–of course they are–why else would they have been hired?

Chances are, you are somewhere in between an Accidental Diminisher and a Multiplier. Don’t be upset about it—less than 5% of leaders can be considered true Multipliers. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t get better.

So, besides the normal self-indulgent goal of leaving behind a great legacy of your leadership, why should you want to be a Multiplier?

• You get 200% more intelligence, stamina, and capabilities from your team
• You get more engagement and dedication out of your team
• Results MULTIPLY because of this!

Steps to becoming a “Multiplier Leader”

So are YOU ready to be a Multiplier? Here’s how you do it:

1. Take the free quiz to figure out how you accidentally diminish your team
2. Read the book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman
3. Talk to your peers and your team about this concept and ask for feedback
4. And if all that doesn’t seem to be enough (or you’re super intrigued now), then connect with me on LinkedIn or set up a time to talk to learn more^*

^*Not only will I politely and kindly help you figure out whether you are an Accidental Diminisher, I’ll share my own diminishing bad habit, and I’ll help you dig your way out of your own!

The first step to change is always self-awareness. You have to first jump on the scale to learn how many pounds you should lose. In this case, you have to open your mind to thinking “It’s me. I’m the problem.”

I promise you…once you know, you’ll be even closer to having a Multiplier legacy.