Stretch, Don't Stress: How Great Communication Makes Better Leaders

Most leaders who quietly diminish the people around them have no idea they're doing it! In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, host Matt Abrahams sits down with Liz Wiseman, researcher and bestselling author of Multipliers, to explore why some leaders amplify intelligence while others, often accidentally, suck the intelligence, creativity, and energy out of a room. In this episode, Matt and Liz talk about: • There's a 2x gap in how much of a team's intelligence gets used, and it comes down to one subtle leadership pattern • The most common form of this pattern doesn't come from bad intentions at all, making it hard to catch • An everyday leadership instinct, which when done with total sincerity, sends the OPPOSITE message of what it's meant to • A single question, asked at the end of a one-on-one, can completely change what a leader gets back from their team • The one-line reframe by Liz's old boss that quietly changes what "leadership" even means • The people who move the needle at work are the ones who respond to uncertainty in one specific, learnable way • The best way to catch yourself doing this is a question you ask someone else Ask the people who work for leaders what good leadership looks like, rather than asking the leaders themselves. As Liz puts it, "Your employees are the customers of your leadership." About The Guest: Liz Wiseman serves as the Weissman Group's CEO, executive advisor, and researcher. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Multipliers and The Multiplier Effect, as well as the Wall Street Journal bestsellers Rookie Smarts and Impact Players. Her initiatives have had a significant influence on leaders worldwide. Liz has been repeatedly recognized as one of the world's leading management thinkers and has won Thinkers50's highest accomplishment award for leadership. About Matt: Matt Abrahams is a leading communication expert, lecturer in organizational behavior at Stanford GSB, and host of the award-winning Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast. He has coached presenters at TED, the World Economic Forum, and the UN Secretary-General's office, and his online talks have garnered millions of views worldwide. He is the author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter and Speaking Up without Freaking Out, two bestselling guides to confident, spontaneous communication Key Quotes • "Your employees are the customers of your leadership." Liz Wiseman (quoting her former boss at Oracle) (08:51) • "The diminishing leaders were getting less than half of people's available intelligence, their knowledge, their insights, and their creativity" Liz Wiseman (13:13) • "When other people are doing their job, impact players are figuring out the job that needs to get done. You don't have to be in charge to take charge." Liz Wiseman (11:20) • "Good communication starts with respect.” “And not necessarily interpersonal respect but respect for people's time." Liz Wiseman (23:27) Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Multipliers vs.Diminishers? 02:46 The Small Behaviors That Separate Them 05:13 Weaponization of Questions 07:24 One Question Every Leader Should Ask 08:44 To Lead is to Serve 09:52 What Is an Impact Player? 12:58 Traits of Accidental Diminishers 16:30 Are You an Accidental Diminisher? 19:57 Matt's 3 Questions 25:07 Conclusion Relevant Links: Liz Wiseman: https://www.fastersmarter.io/guests/l... Liz’s Book: https://bookplease.ai/wiseman/multipl... Episode References: Ep. 147. Disrupt Yourself: How to Innovate Who You Are and Become Who You Can Be https://www.fastersmarter.io/147-disr... Ep. 212. Disrupt Yourself To Find Yourself: How To Identify Your Strengths Disrupt Yourself To Find Yourself: How To ... https://www.fastersmarter.io/212-brea... Connect with us: Premium Signup: https://www.fastersmarter.io/premium/ Email Questions & Feedback: [email protected] LinkedIn: (LinkedIn: think-fast-talk-smart) Instagram (Instagram: thinkfasttalksmart) YouTube (@thinkfasttalksmart) Matt Abrahams on LinkedIn (LinkedIn: maabrahams)