Genius or Genius Maker?

Are you the type of leader who has to be the smartest person in the room, or do you strive to hire smart people and help them bring out the best in themselves?  This question is addressed in wonderful detail in this blog today Are You a Genius or a Genius Maker?  The author shows how there are two dramatically different kinds of leaders, one that drains energy and intelligence from others (called Diminishers), and one that amplifies the smarts and capabilities of others (called Multipliers).

In researching this a bit, it turns out that the core idea is from a book called Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown.  There is another good article on the subject of Genius or Genius Maker? by Nancy Proffitt.

It is fascinating to learn the differences in how Diminishers and Multipliers approach managing people.  The Multiplier attracts excellent talent, creates an intense environment to enable best thinking, challenges people to stretch, debates ideas to get the best decision, and invests ownership in others to empower them to be successful.  On the other hand, the Diminisher underutilizes talent, creates a stifling tense environment, acts as the know-it-all, makes abrupt decisions with no discussion, and micro-manages.  Good to know, right?

Read this article, and if you are already moving in the right direction, you can see more of what to do to be a true multiplier, and create genius from the bright people you have.