What does it actually mean to be a "force multiplier" or to "scale through others"?
These phrases get tossed around in promotion packets, leadership books, and career advice columns, but rarely does anyone break down the actual mechanics. Some dismiss it as just another way to say "delegation" but it's so much more than offloading your tasks.
Being a team multiplier means strategically investing in others in ways that create exponential returns, for them, for you, and for the organization. It's understanding that the workplace isn't a zero-sum game.
You can grow the pie and get credit for being the one who made it bigger.
This is the triple win that most people miss:
Your teammates accelerate their growth and capabilities
You gain recognition as someone who builds others up
The organization benefits from increased collective output
In my years at Amazon, I discovered that my own growth in my career accelerated the fastest when I was uplifting others. This continues today with this newsletter, my LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Let me show you how to become that person.
1. The Multiplier Mindset
Most people approach their careers with the singular focus of becoming excellent at their craft. They invest in their own skills, knowledge, and output. While this creates linear growth, it eventually hits a ceiling.
There are only so many hours in a day. There’s only so much one person can do.
True organizational value comes from amplifying the capabilities of those around you. When you help five team members become 20% more effective, you've just created the equivalent of an additional team member.
This mindset requires seeing time spent developing others as an investment, not a cost. Many fall into the trap of thinking, "Why bother teaching someone else? I can do it faster myself." Yes, it will take longer initially, but the compounding returns make it worthwhile. What feels like a time sink today becomes a massive time multiplier tomorrow.
I remember being stuck for months trying to solve a particularly complex system design problem. I was the "expert" on the domain and determined to crack it myself. Eventually, a senior colleague stepped in, not to solve it for me, but to ask a series of questions that reframed how I was thinking about the issue. He didn't give me the fish; he helped me become a better fisherman.
These questions gave me new lines of research and unblocked my progress. Within days, I had a workable solution, and more importantly, a new approach to problem-solving that I've used countless times since.
That senior colleague later told me he'd been recognized in his performance review specifically for how he'd guided me through this my design challenge. His manager had noticed the impact on my work quality afterward. His reputation as a force-multiplier followed him throughout his career, opening doors that raw technical skill alone never could.
But it would not have been possible without an investment of his time, and his insistence on not giving me the answers.
Quick win: Identify a team member who's struggling with a specific problem you can help with. Instead of providing the solution, schedule time minutes to ask them questions that might help them see the problem differently. Focus on expanding their thinking, not directing it.
2. Identifying Potential
The most valuable skill of a team multiplier is spotting potential in others that they do not see in themselves. It's not about recognizing who's already good, it's about identifying who could become great with the right support.
Look for these signals of untapped potential:
Team members who ask insightful questions and seem to be motivated by intrinsic curiosity
Colleagues who show passion for specific aspects of the work and seem to want more
People who remind you of a younger version of yourself, with similar strengths and challenges you've overcome
During a critical project at Amazon, I encountered a junior engineer who reminded me so much of my younger self that it was almost eerie. Like me early in my career, he was technically skilled but struggled with confidence when speaking in larger forums. He'd share great ideas in one-on-one settings but would clam up in group discussions.
I recognized this pattern immediately because I'd lived it. Instead of just encouraging him to "speak up more" (advice I'd received and found useless because it just restates the problem as the solution), I started creating specific opportunities for him to present his ideas in progressively larger settings. I'd ask him to walk through his approach with just one other teammate first (as I had done in my early career), then with a small group, and to move up from there.
What's more, I shared my own early career struggles with him, something I rarely did back then. "You know, I used to be terrified of speaking up too. Here's what helped me..." That vulnerability created a connection that made the relationship much more effective. Within six months, he was confidently leading technical discussions and had earned a reputation for his clear communication skills.
Quick win: During your next team meeting, notice who asks the best questions, seems hungry for more, or just reminds you of you. Send them a message to connect.
3. The Art of Sharing What You Know
Knowing something valuable isn't enough. You need to transfer that knowledge in ways that stick. Most people approach teaching as telling people how to do things, but effective multipliers know that learning doesn’t happen simply with knowledge dumps. It happens by showing people how you do that same work.
The key is to structure knowledge sharing as a progressive experience:
Demonstrate the approach or skill
Have them try it with your guidance
Let them lead while you observe
Have them teach it to someone else
One pattern I've found particularly effective is the "narrated work session." When a team member was struggling with writing a design document, rather than explaining my approach in the abstract, I invited them to a screen-sharing session where I talked through my exact thought process as I wrote my own design document. I verbalized my false starts, my reasoning, and my decision points. This exposed not just the solution, but the mental models that led to it.
Months later, that same engineer told me he still "heard my voice" in his head when approaching similar problems. More importantly, I saw him using the same approach to mentor other team members.
Quick win: The next time you solve a complex problem, record a 5-minute video / screen share of yourself explaining your approach, including the dead ends and thought process. Share it with your team as a learning resource.
4. Creating Visibility
The best force multipliers don't just develop others, they also ensure that growth gets noticed. This isn't about taking credit for others' work, it's the opposite. It's about amplifying their visibility in ways they would not be comfortable doing for themselves.
Effective visibility tactics include:
Mentioning their contributions in meetings with leadership
Singing their praises, especially when they're not in the room
Creating showcase opportunities for them to present their work
Documenting their impact in ways that can be referenced in performance reviews
I once worked with someone who was doing groundbreaking work on our infrastructure, but was uncomfortable with self-promotion. Before our quarterly business review with senior leadership, I asked if I could highlight some of his innovations. During the meeting, I made sure to specifically name him and explain how his insights and approach had saved us months of development time. The next day, a VP reached out to him directly to learn more. Six months later, he was leading an initiative in that space, a role he deserved but that he wouldn't have created for himself.
Quick win: In your next team meeting, find at least one opportunity to highlight something impressive that a teammate did, making sure to use their name and be specific about the impact: "I just wanted to call out Steve's approach to the caching problem reduced our latency by 40%." Good job, Steve.
5. Delegation
Most people delegate to get work off their plate. Multipliers delegate to create growth opportunities. The difference is not in what you delegate, but how you do it.
There are three distinct delegation modes, but only one creates real force-multiplication:
The Load Balancer
This is where most people start. You take complex work, break it into smaller pieces, and distribute them among team members. While this spreads the workload, it doesn't foster growth. You're just breaking big rocks into smaller ones and having multiple people carry them. The scope remains limited, and team members don't develop new capabilities. They just do more of what they already know how to do.
The Micromanager
Here, you give people bigger scoped work but hover too much—checking in constantly, providing excessive guidance, and effectively giving them the answers to every problem. While this appears to delegate more responsibility, you're still the bottleneck. Worse, you've created significantly more work for yourself, as you're not only managing the work but also doing much of the thinking.
The Force Multiplier
This is the sweet spot. You give people challenging work that stretches people's capabilities, provide clear context and constraints, and then—crucially—give them space to figure it out. You're available as a resource, but you resist the urge to jump in at the first sign of difficulty. This approach requires trust, but it's the only one that truly scales your impact.
The key difference in the Force Multiplier approach is that you're giving people the opportunity to succeed or fail without your constant intervention. This can feel uncomfortable, especially in time-constrained situations, but it's essential for growth, both theirs and yours.
To make this work, you need to install good mechanisms that serve as backstops:
Regular but not frequent check-ins
Documented success criteria so they know what "good" looks like
Pre-identified decision points where course correction might be needed
Guidance on when it's appropriate to escalate issues versus solving them independently
I once had a critical project that our senior engineers would typically handle. Instead, I assigned it to a mid-level developer who had shown interest in performance work but hadn't yet had the opportunity. I told him explicitly: "I'm giving you this because I think you're ready for this level of challenge, and because developing this skill will be valuable for your career growth."
Instead of weekly syncs, we agreed on just two checkpoints per month. I shared clear performance targets and outlined some approaches he might consider, but explicitly told him he should explore other options as well, and that his recommendation was the important part, not what I wanted. I made myself available for questions but resisted the urge to check in outside our scheduled times.
The first week was nerve-wracking for him, I could tell. But rather than jumping in to help him immediately, I let him struggle. He course-corrected on his own..
The project took about longer than if a senior had done it, but the results were comparable, and critically we had more team members who could handle this type of work.
Quick win: Identify one task on your plate that would be a growth opportunity for someone else. When delegating it, resist the urge to break the work up into more managable pieces, or to jump in to help them at the first sign of trouble. Force yourself to give them space to figure things out.
6. Creating Psychological Safety Despite Critical Feedback
For people to grow, they need to take risks, make mistakes, and receive feedback that helps them improve rather than makes them defensive. Creating this environment of psychological safety is essential to being a multiplier.
The most effective feedback:
Separates observations from interpretations
Is specific and actionable
Focuses on the future rather than dwelling on the past
Emphasizes growth rather than judgment
Making feedback safe is just as important as the content itself. Always deliver critical feedback in private, never in a group setting. Begin the conversation by explicitly stating that you care about the person enough to give them straight talk. This frames the feedback as an investment in their growth rather than criticism.
Avoid the common "feedback sandwich" approach where you layer positive comments around criticism. While well-intentioned, this approach often backfires—people either focus only on the positive parts or become confused about what you're really trying to say. Most professionals just want direct, clear feedback delivered with care.
I had a team member who consistently interrupted others in meetings, particularly more junior colleagues. Rather than labeling him as "domineering" or "not a team player," I requested a short coffee chat. I shared my specific observation 1-1: "I care about your growth and success here, which is why I wanted to share something I've noticed. In yesterday's design review, I noticed you jumped in while the presenter was explaining her approach three separate times. She didn't get to finish her thoughts."
Then I connected it to impact: "When this happens, other team members become hesitant to share." Finally, I suggested a specific alternative: "I'd love to see you use your enthusiasm to draw others out by asking really great questions instead. This way, you get to say what you want to say, but nobody feels like you’re shutting them down."
Within weeks, he went from being the person who dominated discussions to the one who made sure everyone was heard. He later told me no one had ever given him such clear feedback before. Other managers had just labeled him "domineering" without helping him understand how to change, and had given him the unhelpful advice to “give others more space.”
Quick win: The next time you need to give feedback, write it down first using this template: "I care enough about you that I wanted to share something I noticed. I observed [specific behavior]. The impact was [effect on team/project/individual]. In the future, consider [specific alternative approach]." Review it to ensure it's focused on growth rather than judgment.
7. The Compound Returns of Being a Multiplier
The real magic of being a team multiplier is that it creates compound returns over time. As you elevate others:
Your reputation spreads beyond your immediate team
People actively seek to work with you
Your networks of influence grow exponentially
Former teammates advocate for you long after you've stopped working together
This creates a powerful career acceleration effect that far outpaces what you could achieve through individual excellence alone. Your value to the organization becomes not just what you can do, but what you enable dozens of others to do.
The big transformation happens when being a multiplier shifts from something you occasionally do to a core part of your professional identity. When your default response to success becomes "Who else can I bring along?" rather than "How can I get ahead?"
This isn't just feel-good advice, it's a strategic career approach that creates more sustainability and resilience than trying to climb the ladder alone. In a world where everybody is focused on themselves, your ability to amplify those around you becomes a distinctive and valuable professional asset.
I still receive messages from people I mentored years ago, updating me on their career progress and thanking me for specific ways I helped them grow. Many have gone on to roles far beyond my own, becoming executives, founders, and industry leaders. The pride I take in their success rivals anything I've accomplished directly.
I truly believe success is not a zero-sum game.
Everybody does better when everybody does better.
Quick win: Reach out to someone who helped you grow earlier in your career. Let them know specifically how their investment in you paid off. This reflection will help you recognize the long-term impact of being a multiplier, while also strengthening a valuable relationship.
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