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Leadership Is Language

The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don't

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Leadership Is Language

By: L. David Marquet
Narrated by: L. David Marquet
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About this listen

Your words matter more than you think

Most of us use the language we inherited from a time when workers worked with their hands and managers worked with their heads. Today, your people do much more than simply follow orders. They contribute to performance and solve problems, and it's time we updated our language to reflect that.

In Leadership Is Language, former US Navy captain L. David Marquet offers a radical playbook to empower your people and put your team on a path to continuous improvement. The framework will help you achieve the right balance between deliberation and action, and take bold risks without endangering your mission. Among other things, you'll learn:

  • How to avoid the seven common sins of questioning, from binary questions (should we do A or B?) to self-affirming questions (B is the better option, right?)
  • Why you should vote first, then discuss, when deciding on a plan with your team, rather than voting after discussion
  • Why it's better to give your people information instead of instructions

As a submarine captain, Marquet used his counterintuitive model of leadership to turn the worst-performing submarine crew into the best-performing one in the fleet, a story he recounted in his bestselling book Turn the Ship Around! Now, in Leadership Is Language, he draws on a wide range of examples, from the 2017 Oscars Best Picture mishap to the tragic sinking of the SS El Faro, to show you exactly how the words you use (and don't use) impact how your people contribute.

©2020 L. David Marquet (P)2020 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

"Full of compelling advice on how to lead more effectively by choosing your words more wisely." (Adam Grant, author of Originals and Give and Take)

What listeners say about Leadership Is Language

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Excellent

Excellent book and good narrative well written . I recommend for those interested in decision process

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An inspiring and refreshing approach to leadership

Practical advice and good narration by the author makes this leadership model come alive.

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simple and to the point with examples to give context. a sound book for any aspiring leader.

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detailed - clear - engaging -interesting educating

loved to learn about the difference between blue and red work and how to fine tune the delicate balance between the two. Found extremely helpful thinking about the difference between intentions and behaviours. And empowering focusing on controlling the clock instead of obaying the clock! ultimately I admire how the author structured the book. Highly valuable read

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Thought provoking...

I found this thought provoking, with useful techniques to improve as a leader. I've used some of the "plays" and found they really help bring out the potential in teams. I recommend this to all leaders (even more than 'turn the ship around', which is excellent too)

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Useful angle

I thought the author really focussed well on the power of language in teams. My only regret is that there are some good specific language points I would have wanted to highlight and come back to at a future date, which is difficult with an audiobook. I might just have to buy the paperback!

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Excellent leadership learning resource

Really useful and actionable leadership techniques around language and communication, along with plenty of nice examples of the right and wrong way, and their consequences.
Worth re-reading periodically.

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How 2 be the best leader you can-Focus on Language

My full review is here: https://cxbeyondthemetrics.com/2020/02/16/how-to-be-the-best-leader-you-can-focus-on-language/

The language of leaders has the power to change lives. Every leader is obligated to understand their role in transforming lives. Leaders that choose not to have a focus on language will change culture in ways that have unexpected consequences, and, can change lives in ways they did not originally intend to.

David Marquet recently released a very important book on leadership, challenging the incumbent and very present industrial age leadership playbook that continues to infuse itself into organisations, defining the culture and ultimately the results of the company.

The key takeaway from Marquet’s book is that a culture, without a thought-through approach on the language of leadership, is most likely to continue an industrial era leadership playbook that is unacceptable in this modern age. Organizational restructures, leadership , diversity and inclusion programs and other change management or transformation approaches, with the backdrop of management principles from the industrial era, will most likely be a waste of money. Marquet’s book is therefore a good use of your time to understand why. One thing is for sure, when the language plays out an industrial era leadership playbook, you can guarantee you are not going to be in control of the culture you are striving for.

What can you do? Marquet offers a practical way to execute the new leadership playbook and how to leave behind the industrial era playbook (the one that might not drive the culture you want and you may even lose lives)…..

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Think Before You speak.

Leadership is a language, not only what you say, but also when, and how. Intention, timing and way, must be in your thoughts.

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Fantastic

A well written book providing fantastic insights into organisational psychology which can be applied to practice easily.

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