The Multiplier Effect: How To Unlock Your Team's Full Potential
You’re either lifting people up or holding them back. Which one are you?
In this issue:
Part 1: Understanding the Multiplier Effect
What is the Multiplier Effect?
Multipliers vs Diminishers
Part 2: Becoming a Multiplier
The 4 Steps to Becoming a Multiplier
Real-Life Leadership Scenarios
The Multipliers Worksheet
Part 3: Going from here
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Recommended Resources
Final Takeaway
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It started with a thud.
Not a literal one — more like the invisible thud of a team hitting a wall.
We were in the middle of a high-stakes project at Adobe. I had just moved into a bigger leadership role, and the expectations were sky-high.
The team was talented. The problem was not skills. It wasn’t resources either.
It was ‘me’.
More specifically, it was how I was leading. I was in every discussion. I gave solutions too quickly. I felt responsible for everything.
I thought I was being helpful. But I was actually doing something I didn’t realize at the time:
I was diminishing the team.
Part 1: Understanding the Multiplier Effect
In her bestselling book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, Liz Wiseman introduced the idea of two kinds of leaders: Multipliers and Diminishers.
She coined the term Multiplier to describe leaders who use their intelligence to amplify the capabilities and intelligence of the people around them. These leaders don’t just delegate. They grow talent. They create an environment where ideas flourish, people stretch, and the team delivers more than they thought possible.
Here’s the wild stat from Wiseman’s research:
Multipliers get access to 95%+ of their team’s intelligence. Diminishers get less than 50%.
What is the Multiplier Effect?
The idea is simple but powerful.
Some leaders seem to make everyone around them smarter. These are the Multipliers. They amplify intelligence, creativity, and ownership. Their teams are energized, take initiative, and grow fast. This is the Multiplier Effect.
Other leaders — often without realizing it — drain the energy from their teams. These are the Diminishers. They micromanage, dominate discussions, and unintentionally shrink others’ contributions.
It’s not about IQ. It’s about how leaders show up.
Multipliers vs Diminishers
Wiseman outlines five disciplines of each style:
Multipliers:
Talent Magnet – Attracts and grows talent
Liberator – Creates safety for others to think
Challenger – Stretches people with bold challenges
Debate Maker – Encourages rigorous, inclusive debate
Investor – Gives ownership and holds people accountable
Diminishers (or “Accidental Diminishers”):
Empire Builder – Hoards resources
Tyrant – Creates a tense atmosphere
Know-it-All – Always has the answer
Decision Maker – Makes decisions alone
Micromanager – Takes back control
How the Multiplier Effect Works
This isn’t some feel-good idea about “being nice.” It’s about unlocking capacity.
Multipliers act as amplifiers. They:
Ask questions instead of giving answers
Give people room to figure things out
Trust others with ownership
Set bold goals — then get out of the way
They don’t just get better results. They build stronger teams. And they create more leaders in the process.
Diminishers, on the other hand, unintentionally train people to play small. Over time, teams become passive. People wait to be told what to do. Initiative drops.
You don’t need to overhaul your style overnight. But even one small shift, like asking “What do you think?” instead of jumping in, can make a big difference.
Part 2: Becoming a Multiplier
In this section, you will learn how to become a Multiplier in your role as a leader.
We will start by reviewing The 4 Steps to Becoming a Multiplier, a simple yet powerful process that you can start using right away.
We will then discuss some common real-life leadership scenarios, and how you would apply the multiplier mindset in each of those.
Finally, we will make it real with the Multipliers Worksheet, which will help you build your muscle in applying the multiplier mindset in your leadership role.