Almost all leaders are guilty of diminishing their team whether they intend to or not. Employees in these diminishing situations tend to become disengaged and underproductive.
Here are some strategies to deal with Diminshers you may come across:
1. Assume that your leader has positive intentions.
Your Diminisher may have positive intent, which would mean they’re an accidental Diminisher. If you notice that this is the type of leader you have, interpret their behaviours as positive and try to understand what drives these behaviours. For example, if your leader has Optimist tendencies, they may be overly excited and optimistic. Understand that their intent may be to let their team know that they believe in them. Ease your leader’s mind by being enthusiastic about the challenge but clearly stating the possibilities of failure. This will help them to appreciate what goes into the work they require from you.
2. Invite your leader in.
Don’t avoid your leader in diminishing situations, try inviting them into your work. Bring your leader in to join and focus their contribution in a manner that utilizes their talent. For example, give your leader a part of your work tasks and ask how they can contribute to making it better. It is possible that inviting your Diminisher in allowing them to see the work you are doing may result in them changing their perceptions and them stepping back and giving you more space.
3. Strengthen Other Connections.
We question our own abilities and values when under the worst Diminshers. At work and outside of work, this can be very destructive to our confidence. Get help from other members of your team or leaders to guide you as you deal with your Diminisher. They can give you a second opinion on the tasks you do and confirm your ability.
4. Model Multiplier Behaviour.
Multipliers inspire employees to stretch themselves and get more from other people. It could help to become what you would like your leader to be. Whether it be growing from stretch challenges or admitting your mistakes and learning from them. In an environment where there are diminishers, these are good behaviours to practice.
Our Partners, The Wiseman group have an ongoing Multipliers research which has led them to identify these strategies that can guide us if we find ourselves in diminishing environments.
Are you interested in learning how you and your team can deal with Diminishers? Better yet, how you can get rid of Diminishers once and for all in your organization? Check out our Multipliers training course or contact us to learn more.
