book

The Language of Leaders, 2nd Edition

Name: The Language of Leaders, 2nd Edition
Author: Kevin Murray
ISBN: 9780749468132

by Kevin Murray

April 2013

Intermediate to advanced

288 pages

9h 7m

English

Kogan Page

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Cover
Praise for The Language of Leaders
Title Page
Imprint
Dedication
About the Author
Contents
Preface
Thanks
Introduction: communicate to inspire

PART ONE Why you need to be a better communicator if you want to lead
01 Napoleon’s leadership legacy
The shots that echo through time ‘Create leaders everywhere!’ The importance of understanding the commander’s intent Communication is the glue that binds strategy and delivery together Keep it simple Free people up with a tight framework Stand up for what you believe in Key points from Chapter 1
02 Leadership transformed – life in the fishbowl
Perpetual communication The questions that really matter The new partnership driving transparency Stories evolve at an incredible pace Internal e-mails can be very public Most leadership communication is not fit for purpose Businesses are like open democracies Leaders must create leaders Radical transparency needs radical thinking Key points from Chapter 2
03 The 12 principles of leadership communication
Be yourself, better Mission and values Future focus Bring the outside in Engage through conversations Audience centricity Listening Point of view Stories and anecdotes Signals Prepare properly for public platforms Learn, rehearse, review, improve
PART TWO The fundamentals
04 Learn to be yourself, better
What followers want from leaders What do leaders want from the leaders they hire? Talking from the heart Be visible, be human and be straight To be seen as a hero, you have to be a hero All-round authenticity Have the confidence to be you Know your strengths to be yourself better How do you go about identifying your values and mission? A springboard to action, a leadership platform The need for emotion in business Key points from Chapter 4
05 Provide a framework for leadership and action, through mission and values
Values build trust Why people love a motivating missionEmployees want a good mission statement Employees need to feel part of the story The need to raise people’s sights Externally, a purpose wider than profit is needed Be an engine of progress for humankind Involve everyone in your mission Reputations at risk The need for speed and the need to create leaders Three examples of mission and values at work Make sure the values resonate In the public sector, purpose and values are all-important The value of values Key points from Chapter 5
06 Communicate the future to drive the present
To talk about the future, you have to be very clear about the future Back to the future, over and over Keep people engaged in the future Your future must embrace all stakeholders Four examples of how leaders bring mission, values, vision and goals together Bring to life the customer’s experience Key points from Chapter 6
07 Bring the outside in and focus on building relationships and trust
Loss of your ‘licence to operate’ Managing the intangible asset of relationships The virtuous circle in relationships The real value of trust Watch out for the reputation gap The three dimensions of trust Why leaders need to inject more character into their communication The health warning on building trust How to unlock the value in relationships Tuning in to the court of public opinion Get your hands dirty If need be, actually bring the client in The customer experience brings the vision alive How to develop quivering antennae But what do I do with the insights? Key points from Chapter 7
08 Engage and align through conversations
What is an engaged employee? Myth: ‘People are our only asset’ Engagement at the heart of strategy Choice, not change The ingredients of engagement Measure and monitor engagement Input equals buy-in Don’t dominate the conversation If communication is so important, where is the training? Key points from Chapter 8
PART THREE Communicate, communicate, communicate
09 It’s all about them – the need for audience centricity
It’s not what you say; it’s what they hear What do you want them to think, feel and do? Don’t change the message; change the way you deliver it How audience centricity helped to establish Canary Wharf The story of the privy How to think about your audience Key points from Chapter 9
10 The inspiring effect of listening leaders
Be interested, be respectful and be patient What stops effective listening? Listen with your eyes, ears and heart Listen for solutions Why leaders should be passionate about bad news Leaders can listen in different ways When you listen, you must respond The killer questions leaders should ask Good listening + a bias to action = results Key points from Chapter 10
11 Stand up to stand out – why you need a point of view
Using a point of view to take a stand Why you need an answer that works instantly The corrosive effect of not taking a stand What makes a good point of view? Key points from Chapter 11
12 The power of stories
Stories tell us great truths Logic gets to the brain, stories get to the heart The difference between a story and a narrative The four types of business stories Good stories are easy to find and easy to tell Choosing the right story One simple story can achieve more than a volume of rules Key points from Chapter 12
13 Watch out for the undermining signals beyond the words
It’s written on your face People watch your body language too When being visible is the message Model the behaviours you want The meaning between the lines Symbolic acts send lasting messages Speaking off the cuff Key points from Chapter 13
14 Prepare properly for public platforms
Get the right training and do the right preparation Remember, every word counts Simple messages repeated often Top tips for dealing with the media The essence of good presentations and speeches Communicating in a crisis And what about the web and social media and Twitter and…? Key points from Chapter 14
PART FOUR Conclusion
15 Learn, rehearse, review, improve; become fluent in the language of leaders
A top-three skill of leadership, yet sadly neglected Strive to be an excellent communicator, and you will improve results
16 Leadership in the public sector – is it different?
Inspired by (and inspiring about) making a difference Results of a study on differences in leadership traits More similarities than differences The myths of poor public sector leadership More focus on purpose and values Dealing with the complex relationships The need for collaboration is driving change
17 If you remember nothing else…
18 The tough questions all leaders need to ask of themselves
Are you an inspiring leader and communicator?
Your cut out and keep guide to being inspiring
Meet the leaders interviewed for this book
Index
Full imprint

Content preview from The Language of Leaders, 2nd Edition

Napoleon’s leadership legacy

Jena is a university city in central Germany, on the river Saale. Population: 103,000. It is home to Zeiss, a manufacturer of optical systems. The world’s first modern planetarium was built in Jena in 1926 by Zeiss, whose slogan is: ‘We make it visible.’ Being able to see clearly, and far, is a speciality of the city.

Even so, the city is most famous for being the site of the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, fought on 14 October 1806, a day when lack of visibility was the key issue. Hardly anyone knows that Jena actually has a much more important claim to fame, one that has relevance for all leaders everywhere.

When the sun rose on the fields near the city that fateful October morning in 1806, a mist rolled in to obscure ...

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The Language of Leaders, 2nd Edition

by Kevin Murray

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.