This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Multipliers" by Liz Wiseman. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Looking for Multipliers book exercises? Do you want to assess your leadership style and determine whether you’re a Multiplier or a Diminisher?
A Multiplier is a leader who brings out the intelligence and abilities of their team and a Diminisher is a leader who relies on their own abilities. Many Diminishers don’t even realize what they’re doing or how harmful their behavior can be.
Continue below for essential Multipliers book exercises, including how to find out whether you’re a Multiplier or Diminisher.
Multipliers Book Exercises
There are two types of leaders: Multipliers, who use their intelligence to bring out the intelligence and ability of everyone else, and Diminishers, who rely on their own intelligence because they think intelligence is a rare trait and they’re one of the few who have it. Multipliers get two times more out of people than Diminishers, doubling the intelligence and capability of their organization without adding headcount. Multipliers can even increase people’s intelligence.
In Multipliers, leadership expert Liz Wiseman explains how to reduce your Diminisher tendencies (almost everyone diminishes by accident at some point) and strengthen your Multiplier behavior to be an effective leader.
Below are Multipliers book exercises you can use to assess your leadership style:
Understand Multipliers and Diminishers
There are some key differences between Multipliers and Diminishers.
- Who do you know who might be a Multiplier? Why would you characterize them as such? (Consider their assumptions, traits, whether they subscribe to addition or multiplication, and how much they get out of their people.)
- Who do you know who might be a Diminisher? Why would you characterize them as such?
- Do you think you’re more of a Multiplier or more of Diminisher? Why?
Improve at a Discipline
Each of the five Multiplier disciplines includes practices and workouts.
- Which of the five disciplines would you like to improve at most? Why? (Remember that you can most increase your overall effectiveness by strengthening a strength or neutralizing a weakness.)
- Choose a workout from this discipline. When and where could you try this workout?
Discover Your Accidental Diminisher Tendencies
There are three questions to reflect on if you want to to discover your Accidental Diminisher tendencies.
- Which of the Accidental Diminisher profiles do you most relate to, and why?
- How did you score on the “Are You an Accidental Diminisher?” quiz? What do these results tell you about yourself?
- Which of your colleagues could you ask for feedback on your inadvertent diminishing? Why this colleague? (Ideally, they understand your intentions and are honest.)
Survive a Diminisher
There are three steps to surviving a Diminisher.
- Describe a Diminisher you know. What makes them so diminishing? Why?
- Which of the survival strategies do you think would be most effective for dealing with this Diminisher? Why?
- Which of the multiplying strategies do you think would be most effective for dealing with this Diminisher? Why?
- Do you think the Diminisher might choose to work towards becoming a Multiplier? Why or why not?
- If the Diminisher does want to change, which of the transformation strategies do you think would be most effective? Why?
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Liz Wiseman's "Multipliers" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Multipliers summary :
- Why multipliers make better leaders than diminishers
- How multipliers increase the total intelligence and capability of a team
- The 3 steps to follow if you want to reduce your own diminishing qualities
