Multipliers, Revised and Updated

April 26, 2010
Drawing on interviews with more than 150 executives and on her own experience as a former executive at the Oracle Corporation and the former vice president of Oracle University, Weisman argues that executives fall into two distinct leadership categories: “Multipliers” and “Diminishers.” Unsurprisingly, Multipliers turn out to be better leaders: unlike Diminishers—self-centered empire builders who tear employees down—Multipliers attract talent, “liberate” employees to do their best and step out of their comfort zones, make decisions rather than promoting unproductive debate, and invest in human capital. While spotlights on such Multipliers as Mitt Romney, a “Talent Magnet” at Bain Capital and beyond, and Steven Spielberg, who fosters an open environment on his film sets, are appealing and instructive, the major points are repetitive. Chapters drag on after descriptions of distinctive Multiplier or Diminisher behavior have been made. The breadth of the material is better suited for a lengthy article than a full business book, and the effort to stretch it into a longer work diminishes the meaningful research.

May 15, 2010
Wiseman (president, Mindshare Learning Systems), who spent 17 years with Oracle, and McKeown (partner, Mindshare Learning Systems) present their findings from over 150 interviews with professionals. They categorize these men and woman as either "Multipliers," leaders who "make everyone smarter," and "Diminishers," who diminish their teams. Chapters are arranged thematically, e.g., showing the attributes of a Multiplier, from talent magnet to liberator, and then showing how a Diminisher functions in contrast, with examples of each. Chapters close with analyses of how to increase your strengths, while the last chapter, "Becoming a Multiplier," is a functional blueprint for individual change at work. There's no risk analysis, though. Multipliers are painted as universally successful, and the authors advocate a leadership strategy that traditional managers might consider risky. New leaders particularly interested in developing a collaborative style may find this useful, but there's nothing here that most leaders don't already know.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2010
Why do some genius-level leaders seem to drain intelligence and performance out of the people around them, while others stimulate, motivate, and get so much more out of their work associates? Wiseman labels the former group, people who need to be the smartest person in the room, as diminishers, while the latter are multipliers, people who use their smarts to stimulate and enhance the creativity of the group. Both authors are connected with the Wiseman Group, a leadership research center that advises senior executives and provides workshops and leadership assessments around the world. By analyzing 150 executives across America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, the authors have identified what they consider the five most important disciplines that help managers to think and act more like multipliers, bringing people together, and giving others on the team more freedom, power, and responsibility, which ultimately generates self-worth and satisfaction. The book is a well-organized sytem that could be used as a personal tool or as a workbook for team-development seminars.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)