Leaders – How we get in the way of others’ talent!

Date: 2011.10.30 | Category: Leadership Testimonial | Tags:

My last post  talked about the difference between leaders as diminishers and leaders as multipliers of talent.  The good news is that we all have it in ourselves to become multipliers of talent. It is first and foremost a question of mindset!  Many of us however in our quest to become multipliers suffer from time to time from what Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown ( Multipliers – how the best leaders make everyone smarter) call ‘ the accidental diminisher ‘syndrome. We have the intent of a multiplier but find ourselves acting in ways which diminish talent. Put quite simply we get in the way of others’ talent!

There are many ways in which we can do this ! Here are a sample:-

• talking too much in meetings
•  asking the ‘clever’ questions
• raising eyebrows when hearing a proposal
• keeping people locked into specific roles because they deliver well and not listening out for their real gift or passion
• sapping the energy out of a conversation by fine tuning ad nauseum
• allowing others to dominate
• stepping into roles and spaces too quickly because you can, instead of leaving space for others to step up
• denying resourcefulness of others by maintaining your way of doing things
• doing the thinking
• not addressing blockages to talent, including other people or red tape
• having a limited perception on what the individual, the team, the organisation can  achieve

So how do YOU get in the way of others’ talent?

Identify one of the ways in which you stray into accidental diminisher mode. By continuing to act in this way what does it cost you, your team and the organisation ? Does it leave you or your team in a better place? What kind of future does it build?

Focus on creating more multiplier moments. Stop talking (the inner chat as well), suspend perceptions, look out for and appreciate different kinds of talent, tell people what you see in them, raise their awareness and confidence and keep looking for ways to utilise this talent to the fullest. With the mindset of a multiplier and careful observation look at an individual’s  performance anew by challenging yourself to ask these questions:-

• What does this individual do better than anything else they do?
• What does this individual do better than anyone else?
• What do other people, team members, customers, key stakeholders spot and value in their interactions with them?
• What additional opportunities can you create to play to their talents