Book SummaryLeadership Is Language, by L. David Marquet

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Leadership Is Language

Why do the decisions that leaders make go unquestioned? What causes workers to stay silent when they have concerns? In Leadership Is Language, L. David Marquet argues that the reason workers hesitate to speak up lies in the language that leaders use to communicate to their team—language that’s outdated and that discourages workers from voicing their opinions. Marquet provides a new approach to leadership focused on collaboration and experimentation that empowers workers to play an active role in decision-making. By...

Leadership Is Language Summary The Problem: The Language That Leaders Use Is Outdated

According to Marquet, the way many leaders speak and many modern workplaces function is based on the leadership model developed during the early 1900s—one that prioritized maximizing output from workers and maintaining strict control over all decisions and operations. In the fast-evolving digital age, however, organizations achieve success not through efficiency, but through adaptability, learning, and innovation. This means that rather than silence workers, leaders must now use language that encourages them to speak up.

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Autocratic Leadership Style

The traditional leadership model that Marquet discusses is often referred to as an autocratic leadership style, one of three styles defined by a psychologist in the 1930s. Autocratic leadership is a key part of classical management theory, which argues that leaders don’t need to consult subordinates when making decisions. As a result, employees can often feel ignored and experience low morale.

While, as Marquet notes, this leadership style has become increasingly...

Leadership Is Language Summary The Solution: Encourage Collaboration and Experimentation

In today's business environment, the outdated work model prevents organizations from achieving their potential. Marquet advises that companies should instead encourage collaboration during the brainstorming part of a project and experimentation during the execution part of a project. This means that leaders should use language differently to get employees to be more proactive, thoughtful decision-makers. Doing this can foster innovation, prevent disasters, and enhance work performance.

Since workers tend to default to executing, you must purposefully promote collaboration and experimentation. You can do this by breaking down obstacles that prevent people from voicing their diverse ideas and perspectives. Let’s look at four steps for structuring more collaboration and experimentation into your team’s workflow.

Encourage Employees to Make Decisions by Empowering Them With Information

In No Rules Rules, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings shares Marquet’s belief that employees should make decisions, but his approach focuses less on encouraging them to collaborate and experiment through language and more on [ensuring they have...

Shortform Exercise: Practice Encouraging Collaboration and Experimentation

Reflect on a recent project and consider how you could have encouraged more collaboration and experimentation.

What could you have done to foster more trust and safety in your team during a recent project? For example, you could have displayed vulnerability, reminded your team that you value their perspectives, or demonstrated that you trusted them.