I'm reading books on management. Multipliers by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown is clear and inspiring. Everyone needs to read it! I'm providing a summary here to highlight the main points, focusing on the positive behaviors that should be developed.
Some bosses are Multipliers. They are able to unlock intelligence and output from their people, and do more with what they have. When you work with a Multiplier, you give more of yourself you ever thought was possible. You grow your capabilities and value.
Some bosses are Diminishers. They shut down the intelligence and output of their people, even though they are highly intelligent themselves. When you work for a Diminisher, you lose motivation, do not accomplish as much, and may even decrease in value.
Most people are in between. You can turn yourself into a Multiplier, by neutralizing your weaknesses and enhancing your strengths in 5 key areas:
1) Talent Magnet vs Empire Builder
a- Look for talent everywhere: Observe. How is this person smart? Appreciate all types of genius.
b- Find people's native genius: What can he/she do exceptionally well, and absolutely naturally? Why? Discover the basic capability that leads to this exceptional performance. Label it. Confirm the hypothesis with their colleagues and themselves.
c- Utilize people at their fullest: Connect them with stretch opportunities to develop their native genius. Where else can this person's aptitude benefit the company? Test them in ad-hoc roles.
d- Remove the blockers: Get rid of Prima Donnas who overrun others and impede their growth. Sometimes the blocker is yourself.
--> Talent Magnets develop their people and move them to bigger and better opportunities. This draws even more talent into their organization.
2) Liberator vs Tyrant
a- Create space: Reserve your opinions, create space for others to talk. Distinguish between hard and soft opinions. Operate consistently. (eg. Always demand that opinions are backed by data.) Level the playing field. (eg. Hire translators for international teams.)
b- Demand best work: Defend the standard. Distinguish best work from bad outcomes.
c- Generate rapid learning cycles: Admit and share mistakes. Allow them to fail, then insist on learning from mistakes.
--> Liberators create an environment where people are free to contribute their work and opinions, without fear of blame if experiments do not work out. However, they demand that everyone do their best work, back up opinions with data, and learn from their mistakes.
3) Challenger vs Know-It-All
a- Seed the Opportunity: Show the need. Frame problems into opportunities. Challenge the assumptions. Create a starting point for the team to fully define the opportunity.
b- Lay down a Challenge: Extend a concrete challenge. Ask the hard questions. Ask more, tell less. Let them discover the answers.
c- Generate belief in what is possible: Helicopter down. Lay out a path, co-create the plan. Connect to the specific steps needed to create movement. Orchestrate an early win.
--> Challengers stretch people by extending challenges and letting them find the answers. Their role is not to solve problems (even if they have a solution), but to ask guiding questions, challenge assumptions, and ensure development of a concrete plan of action. An 'impossible' challenge can create more safety than asking for something easier.
4) Debate Maker vs Decision Maker
a- Frame the Issue: Define the question, form the team, assemble the data, frame the decision. Ask the hard question.
b- Spark the debate: Create safety for best thinking. Demand rigor. Ask for the data. Make everyone contribute.
c- Drive a sound decision: Clarify the decision making process. Make the decision. Communicate the decision and rationale.
--> Rigorous debate leads to sound decisions and strong teams. People understand the underlying rationale and can execute more effectively. The Debate Maker asks the key questions at the root of the issue, allows others to find the answers, and drives a transparent and sound decision based on data.
5) Investor vs Micro-Manager
a- Define ownership: Name the lead, give him 51% of the vote and 100% of the responsibility. Give ownership of the big picture, not just for the specific job function.
b- Invest resources: Teach and coach instead of jumping in with the answers. "What do we know about what doesn't work? What assumptions led us to these outcomes? What risks do we face now that need to be mitigated? What solutions do you see to this problem?" Provide backup (another team member, not yourself).
c- Hold people accountable: Don't assume responsibility for fixing the problem. Get involved, but stretch them with questions instead of providing answers. Allow failure, then help them learn. Find the metrics that matter (number of passes, shots on goal) and make the scorecard visible -- people will see where they need to improve.
--> Investors are coaches, not players. How would you coach if you're not allowed to enter the playing field? The role of the investor is not to solve problems, but to grow a team that can solve problems.
Fast track to become a Multiplier:
- Know thyself. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Neutralize your biggest weakness, and enhance your strongest strength.
- Assume that people are smart and can figure things out. Make decisions based on that assumption.
- Pick one practice in one of the five disciplines, and work on it for 30 days.
There are more details in the book, but these are the main points. Get Multipliers from Amazon for more strategies and case studies.
