Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

by Liz Wiseman

Multipliers use humor to create comfort and to spark the natural energy and intelligence of others.

The cycle of attraction begins with a leader possessing the confidence and magnetism to surround him- or herself with top talent, or “A players”—sheer raw talent and the right mix of intelligence needed for the challenge. Under

Soon Brian became one of the walking dead who roam the halls of so many organizations. On the outside, these zombies go through the motions, but on the inside they have given up. This is called “quit and stay.”

Leaders most often know who the blockers are. The most common mistake they make is waiting too long to remove them. Is it possible that your smartest people are impeding the smarts of your organization? And is it possible you are waiting too long to remove the blockers? If

written on her door: “Ignore me as needed to get your job done.” This simple mantra signaled an important trust in the judgment and capability of others.

While most managers try to retain their top players, the best leaders know when it’s time to let them go. They recognize when a superstar has outgrown his or her environment. Like parents watching their child head off to college, they are full of mixed feelings, but they are clear that the young person needs a bigger stretch and new test.

Policies—established to create order—often unintentionally keep people from thinking. At best, these policies limit intellectual range of motion as they straitjacket the thinking of the followers. At worst, these systems shut down thinking entirely.