Do You Want Transformation or Just Information?
Welcome to another Toolkit Tuesday! Every week, our goal is to give you a practical leadership tool to put in your toolkit.
So There I Was . . .
So there I was on a recent call with a leader who wanted us to come in and run a one hour workshop. Maybe two hours if they could stretch it. That was all they could afford in time and money and in reality it was a percent of a percent of their budget.
As we talked, it became clear why they were calling. Their leaders were struggling to hold accountability. Decisions kept getting pushed up instead of owned. Feedback was avoided. The same conversations kept happening over and over with no real change.
They wanted people to think differently, lead with more confidence and stop relying on them for every decision.
They were hoping this short workshop would create real change. Not awareness. Not a spark. Actual transformation in how their leaders showed up day to day.
The Challenge
Most leaders want transformation. We want people to lead with confidence, take ownership, think critically and grow into the next level. But when it comes time to invest, we often only have space to pay for information. A meeting. A workshop. A training session. Something efficient and contained.
This is usually the point where leaders look at us like we are crazy. When we explain what real change actually takes, the time, the consistency, the proximity, it feels unrealistic.
So we tell them the truth. No fluff. No spin. That is why you are the leader. You can either choose to lead and build something that lasts, or someone else will. Another leader. Another team. Another business. Another idea.
And when the change we want does not match the investment we are willing to make, frustration is almost guaranteed.
The Tool: Intentional Multiplication
Intentional Multiplication helps leaders choose how they develop people instead of defaulting to what feels easiest or most efficient. The tool highlights four strategies for multiplication. Each one serves a different purpose and delivers a different return depending on the level of investment.
Informing: Best for large groups. Highly structured and one way. Creates consistency, clarity and efficiency. Useful for sharing information and reinforcing direction, but limited in its ability to change behavior.
Training: Best for mid-sized groups. More interaction and skill focus. Builds shared language, competence and alignment. Helpful for learning something new, but still limited in long-term transformation.
Coaching: Best for small groups or individuals. High dialogue and feedback. Increases ownership, problem solving and accountability. Creates meaningful growth through relationship and application.
Apprenticeship: Best for one to three people. Least structured but highest relational access. Transfers not just skills, but judgment, values and ways of thinking. This is where deep transformation happens.
None of these approaches are wrong. The challenge is expecting apprenticeship-level transformation while only investing at the level of informing or training.
Why This Matters Now
Organizations are asking more of leaders than ever. Faster decisions. Better communication. Stronger culture. More capacity.
Those outcomes do not come from clarity alone. They come from leaders who are willing to invest in people at the level required to produce real change.
Intentional Multiplication gives leaders a way to make those investments wisely instead of reactively.
The Result
When leaders align their investment with their expectations, people grow. Capability spreads. Ownership increases. Capacity expands.
When they do not, leaders stay stuck reexplaining, fixing and carrying responsibility that should have been multiplied.
The cost is always paid. The only question is whether it is paid upfront with intention or later through frustration and burnout.
Take Action
Identify one person or team where you are frustrated by the lack of growth. Ask yourself honestly whether you are investing at the level of transformation you expect
If you want support building an intentional development plan that actually works, schedule a call with us. We will tell you the truth and help you do the hard work well.
Closing the Loop
That leader on the call was not wrong to want change. And they were not wrong to feel the pressure of limited time and resources.
But leadership has never been about choosing what is easy. When we invest in people with clarity and courage, we give them more than information. We give them the opportunity to grow, step up and carry responsibility alongside us.
