Galinsky was horrified. He can still picture the scene sharply in his mind, so total was his humiliation.

The Leader Amplification Effect

As a leader, in a position of power, words and actions matter. Much as you might like to be neutral or impartial, you don’t have a choice. Your words and actions will tend toward either the infuriating or the inspiring.

This happens because of what Galinsky calls “the leader amplification effect.” If you’re a leader, the effect of everything you do is multiplied by virtue of your position. If you offer praise or criticism, it will have a much bigger impact on the people you lead than on someone at the same level as you.

There are three drivers to this phenomenon. First, attention. You’re a leader so you’re in the spotlight. Everyone is looking at you and they follow your cues.

The second driver is power. In a basic sense, the powerful control access to resources, so others are dependent on the powerful. Powerful people determine the fate of those they lead.

And the third driver is shared attention. Galinsky and other psychologists have found that encountering stimuli with other people magnifies the effect. Think about how much more likely you are to laugh out loud when watching a comedy movie with a friend or partner than if you’re on your own. Because leaders have the shared attention of their people, the impact is amplified.

The Curse of Knowledge

So why do leaders so often get this wrong?

One reason leaders slip into the infuriating side of the continuum is simply that they’re not aware of the potency of their actions. Galinsky calls this the curse of knowledge.

When your boss says, “I need to talk to you later,” they know it’s to get some clarity on your upcoming presentation. But you don’t, and so you spend several tortured hours convinced it's the end of your career.

It doesn’t help that leaders often have multiple demands on their attention. They’re also concerned with impressing their own superiors and not messing up their jobs.

Still, the curse of knowledge is a failure in perspective taking and a failure in empathy – with potentially severe consequences. If employees spend their time infuriated by their manager, they can become edgy, anxious and unmotivated. They might even end up leaving. A survey from LinkedIn last year showed that seven in 10 U.S. workers would leave their job because of a bad manager.

From Infuriating to Inspiring

Some people call this effect the “leadership shadow,” but I like Galinsky’s idea of “amplification.” Shadows are eerie and menacing. But there are upsides to this phenomenon.

With minimal effort, a leader can supercharge an employee’s self-worth, their motivation, and their happiness in their job. A few well-chosen words can make someone’s day.

Galinksy told me another story. Not long after Kahneman voiced his disagreement in class, Galinksy passed him walking down a hall. Kahneman casually told Galinksy how much he enjoyed his papers. “You’re a great writer,” he said. “Keep it up.” This time, Galinsky practically floated home on a cloud of joy.

A Wider Perspective

The way to become inspiring is to be aware of the amplification effect. Improve your awareness by taking a wider perspective. What might others think of your words and actions?

Always give people a “why” when you ask them something. Invite them inside your head by offering your reasoning. Do this enough and it will become second nature.

Another good rule of thumb is to be careful in your criticism and generous in your praise. Saying, “That’s no good, start again,” has the potential to shatter someone's confidence. But a simple, “Amazing stuff, keep it up!” could light up their day.

Research shows that the highest performing teams have a 6:1 positive to negative feedback ratio. For every piece of negative feedback, managers should be giving six pieces of positive feedback. All those positive comments inspire confidence, and they buy you reserves of goodwill that can be “cashed in” when you need to give constructive feedback.

So, the next time you notice a less powerful person hit a task out of the park, let them know it!

“I Need to Talk to You”

Let’s get back to our opening phrase. As a leader, those words can conjure a mountain of anxiety and fear in your people. Galinsky has firsthand experience of this.

In our interview, he told me how he once messaged a junior researcher those exact words. Why? He simply wanted to go over some of her research materials with her. When she learned this, she shouted, “Never do that to me again!”

What he should have done was say exactly why he wanted to talk to her. The ambiguity of his words was filled with the researcher’s worst nightmares and deepest insecurities. As a manager, what might seem a harmless ask to you can sound ominous and doom-laden to people within your remit of authority.

So, when you interact with your people, always remember – you can either inspire or infuriate. As Galinsky said to me, “Neutrality isn’t an option.” You will have an impact, and it will be either positive or negative. Which do you want yours to be?

What’s Next?

It might sound easy, but many people struggle with giving praise. See our articles The Power of Praise and Recognition and Celebrating Achievement for more on how to inspire. And our How to Inspire Your People infographic shows how to harness the power of transformational leadership.

Feedback is also an important piece of the puzzle. Take our quiz How Good Is Your Feedback? to see how you stack up and where you can improve. To learn more about the 6:1 feedback ratio, see our expert video Preventing Poor Performance Through Feedback.

To hear the full interview with Adam Galinsky, see Pain Points Podcast: Inspirational Leadership.

Tip of the Week

Ask Better Questions, Get Better Conversations

By Simon Bell, Mindtools Content Writer and Editor

When it comes to coaching your team, open questions are your best friend. They spark reflection, unlock insight and keep the conversation flowing. Instead of yes/no questions, try asking things like:

• “Can you tell me more?” This is a simple way to open up the conversation and dig deeper.
• “What’s standing in your way?” This helps bring hidden blockers to the surface.
• “What’s important about that to you?” This one gets to the heart of an individual’s values and motivations.

The trick? Don’t rely on a script. Let your team member lead the way and follow where the conversation naturally goes. Having a few go-to questions in your back pocket is great, but real coaching happens when you're truly listening – and responding – in the moment.

For more on how to ask coach your team effectively, see our video Coaching Conversations Dos and Don’ts.

Pain Points Podcast

If someone's performance is becoming a problem, what do you do about it?

On the podcast this week we explore what to say and, crucially, how to say it – so that you stay composed, they hear the right message, and you plan a way forward together.

Listen now and get invaluable advice from author and leadership coach Anne Taylor, in Pain Points: "We Need to Talk About Your Performance!"

Subscribe Today

Video of the Week

Taking Action on Your Organization's Sustainability Targets

With Darshita Gillies

Choosing the right sustainability targets means looking after people, profits and planet.

In this expert video, financial consultant Darshita Gillies explains how managers can get sustainability right.

Watch Now

News Roundup

This Week's Global Workplace Insights

Oversharing at Work – Too Much Authenticity?

The push to “bring your whole self to work” has blurred the line between personal and professional – and some managers are wondering where that line went, according to a piece in Business Insider. Oversharing is now part of office life, from mental health disclosures to breakup blow-by-blows. While greater openness can build trust and empathy, there’s a tipping point. As one communications manager put it, “The office isn’t therapy.”

Let’s not just call this a “Gen Z problem.” Older workers have likely always made similar complaints about younger colleagues (and their – maybe – more interesting lives). But the ease with which social media allows crossover between the personal and the professional has had a role to play.

Managers are in tricky territory, unsure when to offer a listening ear or redirect to HR. Oversharing can hurt productivity, damage reputations, and create uncomfortable dynamics.

But you can connect without turning meetings into group therapy. Keep chitchat structured, model healthy boundaries, and remind teams: personality is welcome, personal drama, less so. As one HR exec put it: “Read the room.”

In summary, empathy matters – but professionalism still counts. Managers should guide culture subtly but firmly: authenticity is great, but there’s wisdom in knowing when to hit pause.

Mind the Gap: What Managers Should Know About Good Work

The U.K.’s Institute for the Future of Work has produced its latest Good Work Time Series report. It flags some critical takeaways for business leaders interested in promoting work which emphasizes dignity, autonomy and equality. First, regional divides are deepening – the capital still dominates, but it’s not all good news for Londoners: high pay often comes with overwork.

Meanwhile, many areas outside the capital are struggling to catch up, especially where tech adoption lags. And although productivity and innovation are touted as silver bullets, they haven’t reliably translated into better jobs or pay – yet.

So, what’s the move? Start putting people first, says the Institute. Align tech rollouts with job quality, support fair pay, and back local training tailored to regional needs. Data should drive investment decisions, not assumptions about trickle-down success. Crucially, the role of small or medium-sized enterprises can’t be overlooked – they’re essential for spreading innovation beyond the "golden triangle” around London.

Bottom line: productivity gains won’t stick unless we grow human capabilities alongside technology. Future-ready firms will be those that balance both.

For insights on what “good work” looks like, check out Pink’s Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose Framework.

See you next week for more member-exclusive content and insight from the Mindtools team!