Leverage is a keyword that can make the difference between Joe’s and Apple’s toilet service. This is such a strong concept that it really needs to be studied and implemented. Multipliers put this into perspective and show through research that leaders who are multipliers get twice as much productivity and genius from their people as “reducers.”
Why is this important to me?
This is essential because everyone complains that they are too busy. It’s the proverbial bullshit excuse for not doing the important things. If you can learn to leverage your people by learning to become a multiplier, then your organization and your career will flourish.
According to Gallup, organizations with engaged employees grow their earnings per share 4 times faster than organizations with disengaged employees. Think of another way that your organization with 50 people will produce more than an organization with 100 people. This to me is a no-brainer to study and implement.
If you’ve seen some of my other roundups, then you know I’m a fan of “Inversion.” This book studies both sides and the main obstacle to being a multiplier is Ego and Control.
This book is divided into 7 key parts. The first part is the multiplier effect that we already covered. The great thing about this book is that it is based on research. You can dive into the research questions and assumptions along with the collection methodology. The 5 disciplines of the Multiplier are:
1. Attract and optimize talent: The Minisher is an Empire Builder. The Multiplier is a talent magnet. If you’re in the information business like software, life sciences, or another technology-driven field, then you know that talent is good, but the right environment is critical. Talent magnets develop and attract talent. You see this in college football all the time. The best teams continually get the best recruits.
2. The Liberator: Create intensity that requires the best thinking; Sometimes when you lead talented people you fall into the nice guy trap. This is very dangerous. If you look at any world-class coach and talk to their players, they will tell you that they expect the best without exception. This builds trust and respect. Michael Phelps’ trainer, Bob Bowman, had him in the same routine for 12 years and only once let him leave 15 minutes early for a school dance. Michael wanted to be the best and his coach delivered without being a tyrant. The Multiplier is a Liberator and the Diminsher is a Tyrant.
3. Scale Up Challenges – Multipliers know how to get the most out of their people.
They do this even though people don’t believe they can do it. This is the key. You see a person in their twenty billion dollar divisions within Apple. Multipliers know how to set a challenge that is initially considered bigger than them and people rise to the occasion. The Diminsher is a know-it-all and the Multiplier is a Challenger.
4. Debate Decisions – The multiplier knows how to get the best out of his team. They encourage debate to reach the best decisions. The Decreaser is a Decision Maker and the Multiplier is a Debate Maker. This does not mean that the multipliers are bland. They make decisions, but they know that a heated and thoughtful debate will lead to a better outcome than a quick and focused decision.
5. The Investor – Instill ownership and responsibility. Once the Multiplier assigns a task to a teammate, that person owns it. They invest the project in that person and give them full responsibility. Regardless of the outcome, then that person has to comply. This means that the Multiplier does NOT come in and take over the project. They watch to see the progress, but the responsibility rests with the person the Multiplier put in charge. As you can see, this one is really hard to do. I have been guilty of this in my own business. If I give a project that I don’t know anything about then it’s easier because I can’t do the homework. For example, we have exceptional software people. I can’t do their job, so giving them responsibility is easy for me because I can’t come in and take over. On the other hand, I know how to sell and manage business accounts. My sales team is better than me at this, but I still have more control issues because I instinctively want to take control. The Dimisher is a Micromanager. The multiplier is an inverter.
Multipliers is a great book that I suggest you read, regardless of whether you have your own organization or work for someone else. This book will show you what real talent is doing and if you are working for a Decreaser or worse than that, the best dogs in your company are Decreasers then you will want to look for a new opportunity. Personally, I need to implement these practices to make my company a better and more efficient organization. I’m going to start this NOW.
I hope you found this short summary useful. The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes a habit. Habits are formed in as little as 21 days. One thing you can take away from this book is to recognize if you are a Reducer or a Multiplier. One thing to note is that most Debuffs are very intelligent people. This may be their useful limit because they feel that other people will not be able to do it because they are not as smart. This is a foolish and very self-centered assumption, and it will cripple any organization that doesn’t understand and overcome it.
