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

by Liz Wiseman

For many months, while Brian continued to pursue his work at full throttle, deep problems were festering at the core of the division. With continued indifference from his manager, Brian became numb and started to settle into mediocrity. He lost good players on his team. When other leaders in the company saw the depth of the problems in the division, Brian’s Midas-touch reputation was tarnished. After several years of hanging in there, hoping for things to improve, he found himself stuck in a dying organization, watching his opportunities fade. 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.” It was painful to watch this happen to Brian, whom I knew to be an absolute superstar. No doubt you have seen this happen to colleagues in other organizations or have even been there yourself. Is it possible that it is happening inside your own organization?