Coaching is a Multiplier.
Leadership isn’t addition. It’s multiplication.
When you grow, you don’t just get better, you make everyone around you better. That’s the multiplier effect. Coaching isn’t about polishing your image or chasing another certification. It’s about becoming the kind of leader whose growth spills over into the lives of others.
As Liz Wiseman writes in Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, there are two kinds of leaders in every organization, Diminishers and Multipliers. Diminishers drain intelligence, energy, and capability from the people around them. Multipliers amplify it.
The difference isn’t talent or title, it’s mindset.
When you grow, you create more capacity, not more control. You stop being the smartest person in the room and start becoming the one who helps everyone else bring their best thinking to the table.
Your growth sets the ceiling for your team’s growth.
Always.
If you want them to stretch, you have to stretch first. If you want them to take ownership, you have to model it. The moment you take your own growth seriously, the energy shifts.
Growth Creates Gravity
People follow growth. They can feel it.
There’s a kind of gravity that pulls people toward someone who’s learning, evolving, and willing to be stretched. Your curiosity gives them permission to ask questions. Your consistency shows them what commitment looks like. Your courage gives them the confidence to take a risk.
That’s leadership gravity.
And, it works both ways. When you stop growing, the culture starts shrinking. Fear fills the vacuum. Creativity fades. You can’t fake momentum, you have to become it.
The Mirror and the Multiplier
Every team is a mirror.
What you see in them reflects what’s happening in you.
If you’re scattered, they’ll be confused.
If you’re calm, they’ll find focus.
If you’re hopeful, they’ll take risks.
Want a team that takes initiative? Be a leader who does.
Wiseman calls Multipliers “genius makers.” They don’t hoard ideas, they create environments where ideas can thrive. They stretch people to levels they didn’t think possible. That’s not soft leadership, it’s catalytic leadership. And, it starts with your own reflection.
The best way to change what you see in your team is to change what’s in the mirror.
Awareness Is Contagious
When you start seeing yourself clearly, everything changes.
You notice your patterns before they become problems.
You start listening instead of reacting.
You lead with questions instead of answers.
And, your team catches it. Awareness spreads. Accountability spreads. Courage spreads.
The more honest you get with yourself, the more honest the culture becomes. Multipliers don’t just raise expectations, they raise awareness. They make thinking visible, feedback normal, and growth inevitable.
Growth Compounds
The multiplier effect isn’t immediate, it’s exponential.
Think of it like compound interest: slow at first, unstoppable later. You may not see the return today, but it’s building. Six months from now, your team will sound different. A year from now, they’ll act different.
That’s the mark of a true Multiplier, their impact keeps expanding long after they’ve left the room.
The goal isn’t to create dependence, it’s to create momentum. You want a culture where people don’t need you to move, they’re already moving because of you.
What It Looks Like in Real Life
When leaders grow, the whole environment changes.
Meetings get shorter and sharper. Conversations go deeper. People stop waiting for permission and start taking ownership.
You start hearing new language:
“I can fix that.”
“I’ll own it.”
“Let’s figure this out.”
That’s multiplication. It’s not a motivational speech, it’s a lived example. It’s hundreds of small, consistent moments where your growth makes others bolder, braver, and better.
Culture doesn’t follow vision, it follows example.
Stay Humble. Stay Hungry.
Growth requires humility. The willingness to say, “I don’t know,” or “I was wrong.” But, that’s what builds trust.
Wiseman found that Multipliers don’t pretend to have all the answers, they ask better questions. They push people to think harder, contribute more, and take ownership of the outcome.
Your team doesn’t need a flawless leader. They need a growing one. Coaching keeps you grounded, self-aware, and honest about your own development.
When you grow, they grow.
Your Growth Gives Them Permission
Everything you lead rises or falls to the level of your personal growth.
If you’re getting sharper, they will too.
If you’re stagnant, they’ll stall.
Your growth gives them permission to grow.
That’s the essence of Multipliers. Leadership that expands possibility instead of limiting it. Coaching that multiplies capacity instead of consuming it.
So keep learning. Keep asking better questions. Keep turning your own growth into a daily act of leadership.
Because when you grow, everyone wins.
You don’t just add value, you multiply it.
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Steve Knox | Carmel, CA
\\\ Which one do you need more of today: curiosity, consistency or commitment? I’d love to help you explore this 1-1. Click here, reply to this post, or reach out via text or WhatsApp: +1.832.915.9877. It’s a conversation worth having. Until next week. Be honest. Be you. Much love.