Leadership Is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say--And What You Don't

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But humans, unlike burgers or car parts, are variable. We can’t be divided neatly into the doers and the thinkers. Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management needs a revamp. When teams are prone to continuing, plan a pause and run The Complete Play. This will allow teams to switch to bluework. They can assess their redwork and decide to continue or not (pp. 252-254). As leaders, our responsibility is to design the organization so that individuals can be the best versions of themselves."

That made sense at the time. In traditional manufacturing industries, after all, standardization was key. Even today, it often makes sense for companies to reduce variability. To mass-produce cars, for example, factories have to build millions of identical parts in rapid succession. To keep customers happy, McDonald’s has to ensure that its burgers come out the same every time. When an organization repeatedly enforces the idea that people should do as they're told without question or suffer consequences, they learn to be absolutely certain that each action is correct before taking it. Developing and executing company strategy should be couched as learning. Avoid a “Here’s our strategy” statement from the CEO but “Our hypothesis is that a strategy of ABC will result in XYZ” and put an expiration date on it.” Let’s imagine an alternate reality in which the crew of El Faro felt psychologically safe enough to question the captain’s decision. In this scenario, the captain took the time to meet with his first mate before departure. “I’m excited you’re on the team,” he told her. “Our differences in age and gender probably mean we’ll bring different perspectives to the table. I encourage you to share your opinions, and I commit to listening to what you have to say.”

Why you should vote first, then discuss, when deciding on a plan with your team, rather than voting after discussion The most impactful leaders are the ones who think about how they will energize their people,” she said. “They know what makes their people feel confident and likewise what drains their energy. Rather than talking about plans or tactical objectives, they are able to link their employees’ current circumstances with some kind of opportunity or outcome that they will care about.” FERNANDEZ-ARAOZ, C., ROSCOE, A. and ARAMAKI, K. (2017) Turning potential into success: the missing link in leadership development. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 95, No 6, November/December. pp86-93. Complete defined goals instead of continuing work indefinitely (View work in discrete elements or every hour, every day will feel the same. Pause to celebrate.).

In the New Playbook, everyone is a thinker and a doer. What follows is a description of these “plays” from Marquet’s leadership playbook. How you speak to your team – whether making a statement or responding to a question – impacts them. Effective communication is essential for success, allowing you and your team to establish trust and create better long-term outcomes. Your leadership development goals should include learning to use your words carefully, eliminating jargon to avoid confusion, and focusing on the end goals when communicating. Areas where language matters Improve, don't prove: Ask your people to improve on plans and processes, rather than prove that they can meet fixed goals or deadlines. You'll face fewer cut corners and better long-term results. Improve outcomes rather than prove ability (Reflect openly with your team how your actions might have been better. Encourage curiosity from everyone: How can we make it better?) But there’s no single magic phrase that will continuously inspire your team to achieve its best; motivational leadership comes from an authentic emotional connection with your team, explained James Rohrbach, president and chairman of language school Fluent City.

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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?)