QUALTRICS X4 SUMMIT: HOW TO KEEP FROM ACCIDENTALLY DIMINISHING YOUR TEAM.

• Author: Christensen, Lisa
• Position: Around Utah - Liz Wiseman - Conference news

Salt Lake City--It's easy to see the detrimental effect a toxic boss has on a workplace, but sometimes leaders with the best of intentions can create the same kinds of problems, said New York Times best-selling author Liz Wiseman at the Qualtrics X4 Summit.

"Most of the diminishing that's happening in our companies and communities and schools isn't coming from the tyrannical, bullying boss," she said. "Most of it is coming with the best of intentions from people trying to be good bosses but who are diminishing the people around them."

Those "best of intentions" include having lots of big ideas with the expectations that others will have similarly ambitious ideas, but employees most frequently end up getting little done because their time is spent chasing each of the boss's ideas; thinking they are rescuing their team from uncomfortable meetings or situations but are stunting employees' growth by not allowing them to grow from those experiences; having such a grand vision for the future that others don't need to think; or being so optimistic about projects or trajectory that employees are forced to bear the burden of the less-rosy details, creating a much different and more troubling experience for them.

"Having these tendencies doesn't make you a diminisher, but it means

you're vulnerable," said Wiseman. "If you're being an accidental diminisher, you'll be the last to know. Your team knows. Your team has meetings about this, and you are not invited to these meetings. Some of the people around you are in therapy over this."

People tend to judge themselves based on their intentions but others based on the result of their actions, she said, so leaders should take a hard look at what their effects actually were rather...