Harnessing the Power of the Multiplier Effect

Ideas flow and problems are solved when multipliers (rather than diminishers) lead meetings, companies and organizations. What’s the difference between those two leadership styles? Multipliers amplify their team’s contributions by actively listening and soliciting the best ideas from those around them. Diminishers focus on their own problem solving capabilities, draining the energy and intelligence out of the room.

Inspired by the book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, yesterday’s annual Chairman’s Luncheon focused on how to drive needed change by becoming a region of multipliers. Through a partnership with the Kansas Health Foundation, 550 attendees heard from Multipliers Practitioner and Leadership Coach Elise Foster. A panel of local business and government leaders then discussed some of their takeaways from the book and how they are applying the multipliers concept to the initiatives they are leading.

The Chamber’s 2019 Chairman of the Board, Michael Monteferrante, moderated the panel and then asked attendees to commit to doing three things in the next thirty days:

• Read the Multipliers book and apply the leadership concept. (A book was generously provided to every attendee by Chamber Board member Ben Hutton.)   
• Commit to supporting others you notice are applying the multipliers concept in their organizations.
• Pass the book along to someone you are mentoring. (Because we should all be mentoring one or two people in this community.)

Yesterday’s event was made possible through the generosity of many organizations, companies and individuals. Click here to see photos.

Panelists (pictured below):

• Joy Eakins, Cornerstone Data, Vice Chair of Small Business
• Junetta Everett, Delta Dental of Kansas, Vice Chair of Diversity & Inclusion
• Ben Hutton, Hutton, Vice Chair of Quality of Place
• Mayor Jeff Longwell, City of Wichita
• Chairman David Dennis, Sedgwick County Commission

Book reviewers: 

• Mario Bonilla, GrantThornton
• Steve Coen, Kansas Health Foundation
• Lai-L Daugherty, Butler Community College
• Joy Eakins, Cornerstone Data
• Junetta Everett, Delta Dental of Kansas
• Ben Hutton, Hutton
• Greg Klenda, Klenda Austerman Law
• Michael Monteferrante, Envision
• Evan Rosell, Greater Wichita Partnership
• Alicia Thompson, Wichita Public Schools

Sponsors:

• GrantThornton
• Kansas Health Foundation
• INTRUST Bank Arena
• Kent Audio Visual
• Hutton
• Chairman’s Circle: Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., Koch Industries, Inc. and Cox
• Presidential Partners: INTRUST Bank, Textron Aviation, Fidelity Bank, Westar Energy-an Evergy Company

Our special thanks to participants who shared their comments and thoughts via social media postings to expand the reach and visibility of the event, including our partners, sponsors and many Twitter enthusiasts, including: Chuck Caisley, John DeCesaro, Rachel Douglass, Suzy Finn, Mandy Fouse, Katie Grover, Deanna Harms, Foulston Siefkin, Britten Kuckelman, Keith Lawing, Shelly Prichard, Ty Patton and Jordan Walker. Check #ChamberWichita on Twitter for their posts.

Read event coverage here: 

Wichita Business Journal – Wichita Chamber touts the impact of ‘multipliers’ in regional growth

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