Coach’s Corner | Episode 2: Multipliers and the gravity effect of intentional leadership

Advantage President & CEO Jonathan Hodge is a certified ICF coach through Georgetown University’s Institute of Transformational Leadership. As part of our series on The Intangibles, focusing on superpowers you can awaken in your people to ease the pain of today's uncertainties, Jon is weaving in powerful coaching moments relevant to each episode in the series. Register here to participate!  

Our best intentions —our tendency to rescue, solve, or rally— can disrupt that invisible pull. 

I still remember the first time I encountered Liz Wiseman’s idea of the Accidental Diminisher. It was like someone gently, but firmly, holding up a mirror.

I’ve spent my whole career wanting to help, contributing ideas, making things better for others. That instinct still drives me. But what I didn’t see - until I did - was how sometimes my helpfulness was doing the opposite of what I intended.

I was solving when people needed space.
I was rescuing when they needed to stretch.
I was optimistic when they wanted empathy.

Liz’s brilliance is that she doesn’t shame leaders for this. Instead, she invites us to celebrate our intent and to see clearly how our instinct to help can get in the way of the brilliance we’re trying to grow.

What it means to lead like a Multiplier

In this episode of The Intangibles, we’re talking about what it means to be a Multiplier — a leadership alchemist who transforms ordinary moments into exceptional outcomes.

Greatness isn’t gathered; it’s grown.

Multipliers do this by tapping into what Liz calls the Attraction of Excellence. They become Talent Magnets, drawing out the best in others not by doing more themselves, but by creating gravity. A subtle, powerful pull that makes people want to lean in, step up, and stretch beyond what they thought possible.

The risk? Our best intentions —our tendency to rescue, solve, or rally— can disrupt that invisible pull. We accidentally become the center of the universe instead of creating the gravity that lets others orbit, expand, and shine.

3 questions to sit with this week

1. Where might your good intentions be eclipsing someone else’s brilliance? (Who’s ready for more gravity, not more direction?)
2. When do you feel the urge to jump in, solve, or fix? (What would happen if you stayed curious instead?)
3. How could you become a stronger Talent Magnet? (What do you need to let go of so others step in?)

This week’s experiment: Try the gravity effect

In your next meeting:

• Pick one Accidental Diminisher move you see in yourself. (Take this quiz to reveal your Accidental Diminisher tendencies.)
• Name it with your team: “Sometimes I step in too fast - today I’m going to hold back to hear your ideas first.”
• Create the Gravity Effect: Say less, listen longer, and watch how people rise into the space you hold open.

A Multiplier’s real superpower isn’t what they do alone. It’s the brilliance they unleash just by how they lead.

Here’s to turning your intent into gravity.

See you next episode,
—Jon