Leadership as a Force Multiplier

Every organization, big or small, for-profit or not-for-profit, is only as good as the way its people work together to accomplish a goal.  If you look up ‘organization’ in a dictionary or online, it is defined as “two or more independent parts with a common aim.”

Sadly, the AVERAGE organization realizes less than the sum of their parts – together they achieve less than what each department is able to deliver independently. This is because the departments’ first priority is delivering on their departmental metrics no matter the consequences to other departments or the organization as a whole.

Understanding Good & Great Organizations
GOOD organizations are the sum of their parts – they realize an additive impact from the interactions of departments. There is cooperation between departments and department management reacts to issues rapidly. People in every department are willing to sacrifice short-term department results for the accomplishment of the overall aim of the organization.

GREAT organizations are the product of their parts – they realize a multiplicative impact from the interactions of their departments. Good organizations coordinate and cooperate across departments to solve customer problems quickly and effectively. Great organizations go beyond coordinating and cooperating – they anticipate and collaborate. They anticipate issues and collaborate to take advantage of opportunities, prevent problems from developing and lead market change.

Organizations that anticipate and collaborate feature a proactive culture of innovation. They can’t stand the status quo. They thrive on change. Everyone rallies to what’s new and what’s next. Even the organization’s structure is dynamic to provide the flexibility to put the right teams in place to meet opportunities head-on, ahead of the competition.

Making the Jump from Good to Great
To move from an average or good organization to a great organization requires company leadership to “turn on” the force-multiplier effect of their people. Great organizations start with great leadership.  Leaders who set the vision for where the organization is going and “get out of the way,” empower their employees to bring their best ideas forward to accomplish the vision.

Great leadership is about leading the organization into the future. It involves making strategic choices on what products, services and markets to invest the organization’s resources in. It is also about investing to build and enhance internal capability – such as employee education, tools and systems – to inspire employees to innovate faster and with greater success.

Innovation really isn’t about brainstorming. It’s about inspiring people to share ideas and empowering them to turn those ideas into reality. Leaders who inspire and empower can’t help but have great organizations.

The good news is you can move your organization from average or good to great, and MMTC can help.  As a leader, consider what you’ll do differently in 2016. Call on the consultants at MMTC to help you become a force multiplier to build a vision and culture of innovation that inspires and invigorates your organization top to bottom.


Since 1991, MMTC has assisted Michigan’s small and medium-sized businesses compete and grow. Through personalized services fitted to meet the needs of clients, we develop more effective business leaders, drive product and process innovation, promote company-wide operational excellence and foster creative strategies for business growth and greater profitability. Find us at www.mmtc.org.