As we continue to investigate the practices and habits that may limit our potential, or inadvertently sabotage our efforts at becoming the strongest leaders we can be, today we’re going to look at a selection of behavioral characteristics that authors Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown term Accidental Diminishers.

In their book Multipliers, the authors interviewed more than 150 executives and categorized most into two discreet leadership categories: Multipliers and Diminishers. As you can imagine, Multipliers stimulated and motivated those around them, while Diminishers, despite being highly intelligent, seemed to drain intelligence, performance, and contribution out of the room.

Without you reading the book, although you are welcome to do so, I thought I would offer a brief synopsis of the Accidental Diminisher behaviors they identified in their research.

Your task today is to check your default leadership behaviors against these possible Diminishers. Do one or two resonate with you? Might you fall victim occasionally to being a Diminisher instead of a Multiplier? All is not lost, self-awareness and mindful recognition tools can help prevent the crossover. So can a great leadership coach…I happen to know one.

Might you exhibit one of these Accidental Diminishers?

The Idea Fountain is a creative, innovative thinker who loves an idea-rich environment. They are a veritable fountain of ideas. Ideas bubble up 24/7 and they burst into the office brimming with new ideas to share with their colleagues. The opportunity with this type of leader is it can be difficult to know what direction they’re headed and they can leave others confused as to where they are headed as well.

The Always On Leader is dynamic, charismatic, and exudes energy. They are always engaged, present, and always have something to say. These are the leaders with a big personality that can fill the room. The opportunity here is you might look up and find your personality is the only one the room is now holding and you may be exhaustive to others who don’t exude your dynamics.

The Rescuer is a good manager and a good person. They are the type of leader who doesn’t like to see others struggle, make avoidable mistakes, or fail. At the first sign of distress, they jump in and help. To a certain degree, this appears useful until it becomes enabling and suffocating to those extremely competent and intelligent people in the room who don’t need to be rescued, they need the space to figure it out themselves.


The Pacesetter is an achievement-oriented leader who leads by example. To build momentum, they personally set the standard for performance and for exemplifying the values of the organization (such as quality, customer service, innovation, etc.). Sounds great so long as you are not the only one who can keep up with the pace you are setting. Remember you’re not a leader unless people are following you. If you’re alone on the open road and no one is behind you, you’re not a pace car, you’re just driving alone.

The Rapid Responder prizes agility and fast turnaround. They take responsibility and are “on it” – they’re quick to respond, troubleshoot problems, and make fast micro-decisions. This leader is the first to respond with a solution to a problem on an email they were cc’d on before the recipient has finished reading it. Again, how much time is afforded to others to think and process before your response goes on record? Unless you’re playing Jeopardy, you don’t have to be the first to buzz in all the time.

The Optimist believes most problems can be tackled with hard work and the right mindset. Certainly, not a bad viewpoint to have, so long as it steers clear of toxic positivity and a constant rose-colored glass outlook. Sometimes people need time to grasp realistic situations and process them before they can pivot to tackling the new challenge in front of them.

The Protector shields their teams, buffering people from the hazards of corporate life. Again, another noble behavior but not at the cost of obscuring reality, protecting, or enabling teams who don’t need or want it.

The Strategist is a big thinker who casts a compelling vision of the future and shows the team a better place, a destination worth striving for. Bear in mind having more than one strategy to follow reduces clarity, creates confusion in direction, and reduces productivity. Strategies aren’t deli numbers, the best ones are crafted, revised if necessary, and communicated for execution.

The Perfectionist appreciates excellence and loves the feeling of getting something perfect. They go beyond setting a high standard for others to follow and want everyone around them to have the satisfaction of getting it just exactly right. Perfection is an impossible standard for any of us to achieve all the time. It’s unrealistic to set the bar at perfect; that height is called “burnout”.

What do you think? Could your values be creating unintentional Accidental Diminisher Behaviors? Think less is more.

Less talking, less responding, less convincing, and less rescuing others who need to challenge and learn themselves. 

Do less to multiply more.

If you are interested in a scientifically based assessment that measures possible limiting leadership behaviors, the Hogan Development Survey (of which I am a certified Hogan Performance Coach) is a great assessment. Contact me if you’d like to learn more.