Leadership Is Language cover art

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
Communication & Social Skills Leadership Management Meetings & Presentations Business Thought-Provoking Submarine

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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Vote first then discuss

The practical nature of this leadership book is enhanced by the many stories with real examples recounted by author.

Helpful structure of book from beg to end. I listened because I purchased w audible to many chapters more than once. In the end I ordered my own book so I can go back and more easily highlight my favourite bit.

I believe my leadership of my staff and other groups I lead - will forever be different and I hope in time to be able to emulate the captain at the end of the story rather than where I am right now which is more like the captain at beginning of the book.

Highly recommended.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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great story to link leadership concepts

struggled to finish as I felt in places it was repetitive. in saying that I think it did help to drive the concepts home.

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Some useful concepts. Shame about the narration.

Some very useful concepts but the OVER emphasis on EVERY third word REALLY grated on MY ears after A while. I struggled TO listen to THE end.

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Tought to get through

This book had good points but they were dragged out too much.

The last few chapters were worth the read.

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