Stop being the smartest person on your team

Ever get that feeling that you are doing most of the work and your team is, well, not a team?  I have felt that way in the past.  Thanks to the audiobook, Multipliers, I quickly figured out the culprit and started his exit from the company.


That culprit is me. Well, “Diminisher” me. Being the smartest person in your business is never a path to growth. This is not news. Andrew Carnegie stated it clearly when he said, “I was surround myself with people smarter than me”. I paraphrased that quote so don’t use this blog post as a reference.  Carnegie did all right for himself.

The hard part for me is I like to know the answer and Google has made the answer even easier to find. When anyone comes to me for a question, I answer it. That’s a Diminsher, or more specifically an “Accidental Diminisher”, according to Multipliers authors Liz Wiseman and Greg Mckeown.

What I love about the Multipliers audiobook is not just that it clearly identifies a problem it is that that the problem is well researched. The book is also full of stories of successful Multipliers. The book is full of anecdotes that the authors experienced, not second hand stories.

The findings of the authors give you actionable advice on firing or usurping the Diminisher, whether it is you or even your boss. I firmly believe in small business the Diminisher is the entrepreneur. When the owner starts a business, they need to have all the answers. It takes conscious effort to not give the answers.This book is for everyone that wants to do a better job. Even if you have a work from home business, you need to be a Multiplier of those with whom you interact.

Because of my role leading an Inbound Marketing Agency, I also have had many different partners, most of whom are attorneys.  I have worked with many Diminishers. They always get the worst results out of our team because the Diminishers are getting in the way of some very talented, caring professionals we have at authenticWEB.

On the other hand, becoming the opposite of a Diminisher, a Multiplier, will improve the results of everything you do. “M is the manual to get you started.