There are some business owners who just have ‘it’ they naturally amplify the collective intelligence and capability of the people around them. ‘Amplifiers’ inspire their teams to give a bit extra, to work that bit harder and stretch themselves to deliver just a bit more.
Your people could get more done with the same resources, find new ways of working, continuously innovate, achieve outstanding performance, you would be the business everyone would want to be part of. They would also love coming to work every day.
If you are a business owner or leader take the time to reflect and think seriously what you can do to positively and profitably ‘amplify’ your team’s performance. What are the skills and practices you can learn from business owners who consistently get the best out of their people? How are they leveraging the talent and the brainpower in their business to outperform others and sustainably grow their business?
Do you think you are you an AMPLIFIER…………………..or REDUCER?
Amplifiers and Reducers have many common traits, they have great business acumen, strong customer focus, good market insight and smart people in their teams so what makes them different?
Amplifier leaders believe that people have their own unique smartness and their role is to uncover this individual genius so that each person can bring their best. They are adept utilising the talents in their team by defining opportunities/challenges, bringing the right resources, creating space for debate, to enable people to innovate, ideate and collaborate. They have a massive impact on the profit and morale of their business.
As an owner/founder making the business decisions from its inception it can be hard to believe anyone can know the business as well as you do, after all, it’s your ‘baby’. But the baby is now a truculent teenager ready to spread their wings and leave home. The tactics you employed in the early days of business startup when you controlled everything are just not working and they are affecting your ability to grow (financially and personally). Does your current mindset mean you are leaving untapped capability in the corner? Perhaps you are an accidental reducer?
Reducers, on the other hand, believe they know it all and unless they tell people what to do they can’t work it out for themselves – they make important decisions stepping in when they see someone failing. They create dependency, yet complain when everyone comes to them looking for the answers.
What can we learn from Amplifiers? They have ‘growth mindset’, so if you are looking to scale-up your business here are some of the practices that multipliers employ to ensure they are continually building the capability of their teams and businesses:-
Grow amazing talent
Amplifiers are the leader’s others want to work for. People know working for an amplifier means they will grow and be successful. Amplifiers discover people’s unique brilliance, the things they naturally do well. They connect the right people with opportunities, clear barriers, and open pathways to harness the collective brainpower of the team.
Reducers keep a tight control of resources, insisting they are the only ones who can make them more productive.
Make space for people to do their best thinking
Amplifiers create space; physical and virtual. People are invited to do their best work, in an environment that is safe, energetic and engaging.
Reducers constantly judge work, their people hold back negatively impacting quality thinking and inhibiting people’s best work.
Focus energy with challenges
Amplifiers know it’s not about what they know but the way they reframe problems and provide people with a place to start. They ask tough questions to confront assumptions and lay down stretching challenges. Working with their people they create momentum with collaborative planning and provide the confidence to push beyond what they know. Reducers, on the other hand, determine a direction to reinforce and demonstrate what they know – reducers believe they have the answers!
Ignite discussions
Amplifiers are inclusive, they encourage debate from the outset so people are involved throughout the process and understand the issues. When an action is needed the team are prepared to implement any decisions.
Reducers often make decisions within a tight circle leaving the wider business in the dark, which means that when it comes time for action decisions are often challenged and debate instead of moving smoothly to action.
Invest for success
Amplifiers invest in their people, providing learning opportunities and coaching to provide back up to on-the-job learning. They believe that given the resources, accountability and coaching support they will hold themselves accountable for their success often with much higher standards. Reducers micro-manage they drive result by diving into the details, believing only they have the answers for delivering the result.
Leadership isn’t about having all of the answers, or control. It is about building great working relationships with the people in your business who you have carefully selected to help your business flourish. You have chosen them because they are great at what they do and can bring their skills and talents to your business. As a leader, your job is to have the confidence and to take the time to enable them to do this. Your job is to help your people excel.
You want your team to be the best they can be. So where do you start? It all starts with great conversations; take the time to really get to know your team – listen more than you talk.
Remember nobody is perfect and nobody knows everything. It’s time to take the first step, your team is your priority.
Make your business a place people love to work and bring their best
That’s what great leaders do.
If you have any questions or perhaps you’d like some help getting started, just let me know.