Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

by Liz Wiseman

don’t focus on what they know but on how to know what others know.

I assembled this team because I am a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions. I think this is how the best decisions are made. One of the dangers in a White House, based on my reading of history, is that you get wrapped up in group think and everybody agrees with everything and there is no discussion and no dissenting views. So I am going to be welcoming a vigorous debate inside the White House. Understand that I will be setting policy as President. I will be responsible for the vision that this team carries out, and I expect them to implement that vision once decisions are made.

While Diminishers raise issues, dominate discussions, and force decisions, Multipliers: 1) frame the issues; 2) spark the debate; and 3) drive sound decisions.

forming the right questions and the right team and framing the issues and process in a way in which everyone can contribute.

Define the Question

They sift through a variety of factors to identify the right issues and spend time formulating the right questions. These questions: Unearth and challenge the assumptions that entrench the organization in old patterns and thinking; Surface the fundamental tensions and tradeoffs to be considered in a decision; Force people to examine the facts and confront reality; Ensure multiple perspectives on an issue.

Potential candidates for a great debate include: Those with knowledge or insight needed to inform the issue Key stakeholders for the decision Those with responsibility for driving the outcome of the decision

Assemble the Data Multipliers identify the decision-critical data that needs to be gathered and analyzed prior to the debate. They ask others to come to the debate armed with relevant information so they are prepared to contribute.

Frame the Decision In preparation for the meeting itself, Debate Makers define what needs to be addressed, why it is important, and how the final decision is expected to be made. The What. Multipliers explicitly state what question needs to be addressed. The Why. They shed light on what is happening in the environment that is prompting the need for the debate, and they lay out the stakes involved. The How. Multipliers take time up front to clarify the decision-making process and establish roles, including their own.

They answer questions such as: How long will we have to make the decision? Who will recommend? Who will decide?

Multipliers aren’t just debaters; they are Debate Makers. II. Spark the Debate After framing of the issue, Multipliers spark the debate.

A great debate is: Engaging: The question is compelling and important to everyone in attendance. Comprehensive: The right information is shared to generate a holistic and collective understanding of the issues at hand. Fact based: The debate is deeply rooted in fact, not opinion. Educational: People leave the debate more focused on what they learned than on who won or lost.

“When the group is debating an issue, Jennifer makes it a point to hold her views until the end. She gives a chance for each member of her executive team to express his or her views before she adds her own.”

They ask the questions that unearth the assumptions that are holding the organization back. They ask the questions that cause the team to think harder and to dig deeper. They ask for evidence. They aren’t overly swayed by opinion and emotional arguments; they continue to ask for evidence that would confirm a point of view. And they ask for evidence that might suggest an alternative point of view. They pursue all sides of the issue. When the group moves too quickly toward agreement, Multipliers often step back and ask someone to argue the other point of view. Or they might make the argument themselves. They make sure all the rocks are turned over.

CREATE SAFETY FOR BEST THINKING (THE YIN) Share their view last after hearing other people’s views Encourage others to take an opposing stand Encourage all points of view Focus on the facts Depersonalize the issues and keep it unemotional Look beyond organizational hierarchy and job titles DEMAND RIGOR (THE YANG) Ask the hard questions Challenge the underlying assumptions Look for evidence in the data Attack the issues, not the people Ask “why” repeatedly until the root cause is unearthed Equally debate both sides of the issue

After the issue has been debated, Multipliers let people know the next step in the decision-making process. They summarize the key ideas and outcomes of the debate, and they let people know what to expect next. They address such questions as: Are we making the decision right now or do we need more information? Is this a team decision or will the leader make the final call? If it is a team decision, how will we resolve any differing views? Has anything that has surfaced in the debate altered the decision-making process?

There are three rules to shared inquiry: 1. The discussion leader only asks questions. This means that the leader isn’t allowed to answer his or her questions or give his or her interpretation of the story’s meaning. This keeps the students from relying on the leader’s answers. 2. The students must supply evidence to support their theories. If the student thinks that Jack went up the beanstalk a third time to prove his invincibility, he or she is required to identify a passage (or more than one) in the text that supports this idea. 3. Everyone participates. The role of the leader is to make sure everyone gets airtime during the discussion. Often the leader needs to restrain stronger voices and proactively call on the more timid voices.

Micromanagers What They Do: Manage every detail of the work to ensure it is completed the way they would do it What They Get: People who wait to be told what to do People who hold back because they expect to be interrupted and told what to do instead Free riders who wait for the boss to swoop in and save them People who try to “work” their bosses and make sophisticated excuses Investors What They Do: Give other people the ownership for results and invest in their success What They Get: People who take initiative and anticipate challenges People who are fully focused on achieving results People who can get ahead of the boss in solving problems People who respond to the natural forces around them

To let nature teach, try these steps: 1. Let it happen. Don’t jump in and fix an assignment so it doesn’t fail. Don’t take over a meeting because someone isn’t handling it well. Let the person experience a degree of failure. 2. Talk about it. Be available to help someone learn from the failure. Be standing by after a failed meeting or lost sales deal to help them get up, brush off the sand, and talk about what happened. Ask great questions and avoid the ever-diminishing, “I told you so.” 3. Focus on next time. Help them find a way to be successful next time. Give them a way out and a path forward. If they’ve just botched an important sales call, ask them how they’ll handle a similar situation with another customer in their pipeline.

Use simple questions such as: What solution(s) do you see to this problem? How would you propose we solve this? What would you like to do to fix this?

Here are some statements that signal that you are handing back the pen: I’m happy to help think this through, but I’m still looking to you to lead this going forward. You are still in the lead on this. I’m here to back you up. What do you need from me as you lead this?

In the spirit of the Multiplier, one might adopt an annual question, such as: What would cause other people to become smarter and more capable around me? What could people figure out on their own if I just gave them more space? How can I get the full brainpower of my team or organization? Or simply… How can I multiply the intelligence of others?

THE LAZY WAY STRATEGY Use the right principles and tools and attain maximum results with just the right amount of effort. The Accelerators 1. Work the Extremes: Assess your leadership practices and then focus your development on the two extremes: 1) bring up your lowest low and 2) take your highest high to the next level. 2. Start with the Assumptions: Adopt the assumptions of a Multiplier and allow the behavior and practices to naturally follow. If I can find someone’s genius, I can put them to work. People’s best thinking must be given, not taken. People get smarter by being challenged. With enough minds, we can figure it out. People are smart and will figure things out. 3. Take a 30-Day Multiplier Challenge: Pick one practice within one discipline, and work it for thirty days. Sustaining Momentum 1. Build it layer by layer. 2. Stay with it for a year. 3. Build a community.