Dear Friend,

Last week, our newsletter focused on Connectors—the heart-led folks in organizations who leverage their trusted relationship networks to bring people together, fuel progress, and open doors of opportunity. This week, we’re sharing the third Waymaker Archetype in our Your Way leadership model, the AMPLIFIER.

Amplifiers heavily influence performance and potential. They use their voices to bring the right kind attention—at the right times—to those who need it most. Where there are active Amplifiers, there’s little room for people to feel unseen, disrespected, undervalued, or unprotected. Let’s learn more about AMPLIFIERS.

Anatomy of the AMPLIFIER Archetype

Why Amplifiers Matter  

Amplifiers shine a light on talent in all the right ways. They intentionally elevate other people’s voices, highlight their great work in conversations with peers, and vouch for their potential. Amplifiers are professional magnifying glasses for those who would otherwise go unseen or unheard. When the Amplifier is in the room and at their best, people are less likely to feel forgotten, ignored, or marginalized.

When Amplifiers Matter  

The Amplifier archetype is among the most powerful leadership antidotes to invisibility and disrespect in the workplace. When someone is left out, their voice brings them in. When someone’s work is erased, they reintroduce it. When someone’s ideas are co-opted by a more assertive person, their bold and intentional acts bring attention back to the originator. Amplifiers are needed everywhere, but are especially valuable in conversations about recognition, evaluation, and succession. The Amplifier is the representative many people need but do not have.

How to nurture your Amplifier instincts  

• Take note when someone is being sidelined or underestimated. Seek to understand both why and whether you can help.
• Communicate with clarity and confidence and use examples when highlighting the successes of others.
• Shift the course of a conversation or talent decision by introducing new ideas and perspectives. Encourage others to clarify positions that may be limiting someone’s potential.
• Lend your hard-earned professional respect to others in real time. Declare your confidence in them in the presence of other leaders for maximum impact and influence.

Things to watch out for  

• You may unconsciously undermine those you aim to support by speaking for them. Invite their voices into the conversation whenever possible.
• Be careful not to lose objectivity when pushing hard for another’s recognition or reward. Be balanced in your amplification by understanding and vocalizing not only what someone does well, but also how an opportunity can further their development.
• Ensure you’re not amplifying so often and so intensely that your voice loses impact. Be thoughtful about when and how to champion others.
• Beware of the pendulum swing. Don’t become biased against those you perceive as biased against those you support. Facilitating growth for others is a team sport.

Does the AMPLIFIER sound familiar to you? Can you identify the Amplifiers on your team? How can you leverage what you’ve learned today about Amplifiers to make a way for more people?

At The Waymakers Change Group, we believe the more you know about how your natural leadership approach supports, enables, and equips those with whom you work, the more intentional you can be about using your gifts to elevate the work you’re responsible for and the people doing it. Take our FREE, 12-question quiz to learn more about your natural way of leading. Encourage your team members to do the same. Together, you can make a way for more people—all people—without changing who you are.

In our next newsletter, we’ll examine the Enhancer, whose motto is Why be good when you can be great? 

Until then, keep making a way!

The Waymakers Change Group