Summary
Wiseman and her co-author Greg McKeown spent two years studying more than 150 executives across four continents to answer a single question: why do some leaders amplify the intelligence of their teams while others diminish it? The research uncovered two distinct types — Multipliers, who use their intelligence to extract and grow capability in others, and Diminishers, who use their intelligence to assert dominance and shut down thinking. Multipliers, on average, get twice the productive capacity from the same people. The book identifies five disciplines that separate the two: Talent Magnet vs. Empire Builder, Liberator vs. Tyrant, Challenger vs. Know-It-All, Debate Maker vs. Decision Maker, and Investor vs. Micromanager. Most damning, Wiseman finds that good-intentioned leaders often diminish without realizing it — the Accidental Diminisher.
