Leadership Is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say--and What You Don't Hardcover – Illustrated, February 4, 2020

When I was young, I could never put my finger on what exactly made a good leader. Personality, knowledge, trust worthiness? A combination of all of these? Maybe. So how do you become a better leader? Learn more, work to improve your personality, and convince people to trust you? There's an easier way and all you have to do is change what you say.In Leadership Is Language, David makes it so simple to go from using what he calls the Industrial Age playbook where bosses used controlling, coercive language to get their people to comply (not think) and continue work for as long as they deemed necessary, to using the New Playbook for Leaders.In the New Playbook, he walks us through the 6 plays: Control the Clock, Collaborate, Commit, Complete, Improve, and Connect. Every play is set up with "say this not that" to help you change the words you use and replace them with language that helps people speak up when they see something, when they think differently than the leader, and how to share anonymously in groups.I can only imagine David was considering the reader as he structured the layout of Leadership is Language, it's so user friendly!! He has so many real life examples of companies and people.Because of reading Leadership is Language, I have better conversations with my 14 year old son, my husband and my coworkers.If you've ever wanted to be a better leader, parent, friend, or spouse, then reading this book will give you the tools to improve.

David Marquet’s first book, Turn the Ship Around, is a well-written account of the successes he had in changing the culture of the USS Sante Fe by empowering his crew – and one of my favorite books. In Leadership is Language, Mr.Marquet has done a thorough job in not only showing the many misconceptions that leaders are burdened with, but also in taking the time to explain how the seemingly simple actions of a leader can hinder the engagement and growth of those that they lead.I have read the book and listened to the audiobook (both are great), and Leadership is Language has now become my favorite book of this genre! David Marquet breaks down his book into “plays” to counteract the common errors of leadership, while dovetailing in actual transcripts of real-world issues, academic studies, and conceptual exercises. This book is enjoyable to read and will be the first one that I now recommend to people.

While this book gets somewhat theoretical in parts, it does a great job outlining what "good" looks like and how anyone can do it. Definitely recommend it.

While reading, "Leadership Is Language," I found myself evaluating the leadership styles of the many jobs I have held over the yeras and thinking how the company culture would have been different with even just a few changes in leadership style. I am lucky enough to work in an organization that employs so many of Marquet's teachings in this book. One point that stood out to me of his playbook was, "Collaborate." So many companies are still structured in a "deciders vs doers" structure and are missing out on the innovation that comes with collaboration between all structures of hierarchy. All managers should read this book and encourage their employees to do the same in order to suggest ways processes can be done better and more efficiently, giving voice to all and promoting critical thinking in roles that are traditionally not encouraged to do so.

Leadership is Language is a great follow up to David’s first book Turn the Ship Around. What I like about all of David’s work is that it gives concrete things that you can do, say this not that kind of thing. It really pointed out the things that I do everyday that could be affecting the way my team works. I ask poor questions too often; “Does that make sense?” instead of “What would you like to hear more about?” subtle but powerful. Redwork and Bluework was very powerful for me, we always think we train our teams to speak up and think but if you don’t build that into your work rhythm you are really missing out. We think our problems are unique but this can help in so many ways.

Great book overall with excellent content. Good insights into how the art of management started out as a "science" devoid of true leadership, which provides the backdrop for the "move forward" actions outlined. The book is essentially a playbook to modify your approach to reach new heights of organizational success. The concepts are extremely applicable in the multi-generational workforce of today. Fundamentally, management comes down to people, but people come with habits and biases that get in the way of reaching a shared goal. Therein lies the opportunity to apply the plays/actions and become a leader for your team, not just a manager.My one negative is that the book runs a little long and got repetitive on the examples. Still, very much worth the read.

Everyone one of us leads in some or many parts of life. So, knowing how our language affects people we lead and affects us as we follow others can make a significant difference in how we live our lives!If you have a family or own a business, you'll most likely gain insight that will benefit you and serve you the rest of your life!

Author iterates over the same 7 points over and over again, for 316 pages. Though great pointers if you’re starting your leadership journey, there is no depth on topics discussed, the story is dull. Sadly, I’ve wasted time turning page over page hoping for some substance. After all, it is the Editor’s pick for Best Nonfiction.