Coaching practices for Accidental Diminisher Wiseman
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Accidental Diminisher Wiseman, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I’m well-meaning and I think I’m being helpful
- I pour my energy into clever little optimizations and edge-case improvements while some giant, obvious way to blow the whole thing up sits there untouched
- When a setback hits I’m always blindsided, like I’d quietly assumed everything would just keep going fine
- The second I stumble over a word or trip on a step, my whole body floods with the certainty that the entire room clocked it and is still thinking about it
- I’ve gone numb to the good things right in front of me
Practices that may help
- Watch for the accidental diminisher patterns in yourself
Most Diminishers are not aware they are diminishing — the behaviors that made them effective as individuals undermine them as leaders.
Multipliers: How Leaders Amplify the Intelligence Around Them - Optimize for avoiding stupidity, not brilliance
Munger: "It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid."
Inversion: Solve Problems Backward - Negative visualization (premeditatio malorum)
Briefly imagine losing what you have, so you stop taking it for granted and brace for setbacks.
Stoicism, as a Set of Practices - Actively update your estimate of how much others notice
When you assume everyone saw your blunder, consciously cut the estimate in half.
The Spotlight Effect: Why You Think Everyone Is Watching - Mental subtraction (imagine it gone)
Briefly picture losing what you already have, to restore appreciation for it.
Premeditatio Malorum, in Depth - Create space — be a liberator, not a tyrant
Multipliers create an environment where people’s best thinking is expected and safe; Diminishers create tension that shuts thinking down.
Multipliers: How Leaders Amplify the Intelligence Around Them - Mental subtraction of a positive event
Vividly imagine how your life would look if a specific good thing had never happened.
Negative Visualization for Gratitude: The Stoic Path to Appreciation - Invest in people’s ownership: give stakes and stay back
Multipliers give full ownership and hold people responsible; Diminishers over-resource and under-trust.
Multipliers: How Leaders Amplify the Intelligence Around Them - Multipliers: How Leaders Amplify the Intelligence Around Them
Liz Wiseman’s research found that the best leaders — Multipliers — extract far more capability from their people than average leaders do, not by being smarter, but by creating conditions where others’ intelligence can fully operate. Diminishers, the opposite, may be brilliant and well-intentioned but systematically suppress the thinking around them. The research is interview-based across multiple organizations — observational, not experimental — but the mechanisms align with well-established research on autonomy, self-efficacy, and psychological safety. - Own mistakes promptly and without over-explanation
A fast, clean acknowledgment of error lands better than a slow, elaborate defense.
The Pratfall Effect, Made Practical
Related concerns
- Amplifying Intelligence Leadership
Liz Wiseman’s research found that the best leaders — Multipliers — extract far more capability from their people than average leaders do, not by being smarter, but by creating conditions where others’ intelligence can fully operate. Diminishers, the opposite, may be brilliant and well-intentioned but systematically suppress the thinking around them. The research is interview-based across multiple organizations — observational, not experimental — but the mechanisms align with well-established research on autonomy, self-efficacy, and psychological safety.
- Debate Maker Leadership Multipliers
Multipliers use real debate to engage the team’s best thinking before deciding; Diminishers use meetings to announce.
Make decisions through debate, not declaration
- How Leaders Accidentally Diminish
Most Diminishers are not aware they are diminishing — the behaviors that made them effective as individuals undermine them as leaders.
Watch for the accidental diminisher patterns in yourself
- How To Be A Multiplier Leader
Liz Wiseman’s research found that the best leaders — Multipliers — extract far more capability from their people than average leaders do, not by being smarter, but by creating conditions where others’ intelligence can fully operate. Diminishers, the opposite, may be brilliant and well-intentioned but systematically suppress the thinking around them. The research is interview-based across multiple organizations — observational, not experimental — but the mechanisms align with well-established research on autonomy, self-efficacy, and psychological safety.
- Multiplier Vs Diminisher Leader
Liz Wiseman’s research found that the best leaders — Multipliers — extract far more capability from their people than average leaders do, not by being smarter, but by creating conditions where others’ intelligence can fully operate. Diminishers, the opposite, may be brilliant and well-intentioned but systematically suppress the thinking around them. The research is interview-based across multiple organizations — observational, not experimental — but the mechanisms align with well-established research on autonomy, self-efficacy, and psychological safety.
- Multipliers How Leaders Amplify The Intelligence Around Them After A Loss
Liz Wiseman’s research found that the best leaders — Multipliers — extract far more capability from their people than average leaders do, not by being smarter, but by creating conditions where others’ intelligence can fully operate. Diminishers, the opposite, may be brilliant and well-intentioned but systematically suppress the thinking around them. The research is interview-based across multiple organizations — observational, not experimental — but the mechanisms align with well-established research on autonomy, self-efficacy, and psychological safety.
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