The Language of Leaders

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Shortlisted for the CMI Management Book of the Year 2012http://yearbook.managers.org.uk/the-commuters-read-shortlistThe difference between competent communication and inspiring communication can be the difference between poor performance and outstanding results. The traditional model for what constitutes a good leader is changing and CEO's and HR professionals now say the ability to understand, motivate and inspire others is the characteristic that is most important when recruiting senior leaders. Based on original interviews with an extraordinary list of 60 top leaders from a wide range business sectors, The Language of Leaders provides a unique insight into how they have responded to the demands of a transparent world, reports on what they have learned, and creates a lexicon for successful communication. Their message is resoundingly clear - communication is a now a crucial top three skill of leadership. It is only through mastering this skill that leaders can effectively engage with people within and outside an organization and ultimately build trust - the essential pre-requisite of success. Filled with actionable lessons and insights from leading CEOs of high-profile global organisations, The Language of Leaders is a book that anybody in a leadership position, or who aspires to lead, should read and keep on their desks.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction: communicate to inspire (p. 1)
• Part 1 Why you need to be a better communicator if you want to lead (p. 7)
• 01 Napoleon's leadership legacy (p. 9)
• The shots that echo through time (p. 9)
• 'Create leaders everywhere!' (p. 10)
• The importance of understanding the commander's intent (p. 11)
• Communication is the glue that binds strategy and delivery together (p. 12)
• Keep it simple (p. 13)
• Free people up with a tight framework (p. 14)
• Stand up for what you believe in (p. 14)
• Key points from Chapter 1 (p. 16)
• 02 Leadership transformed - life in the fishbowl (p. 17)
• Perpetual communication (p. 17)
• The questions that really matter (p. 19)
• The new partnership driving transparency (p. 21)
• Stories evolve at an incredible pace (p. 23)
• Internal e-mails can be very public (p. 24)
• Most leadership communication is not fit for purpose (p. 25)
• Businesses are like open democracies (p. 26)
• Leaders must create leaders (p. 26)
• Radical transparency needs radical thinking (p. 27)
• Key points from Chapter 2 (p. 29)
• 03 The 12 principles of leadership communication (p. 30)
• Be yourself, better (p. 31)
• Mission and values (p. 31)
• Future focus (p. 32)
• Bring the outside in (p. 32)
• Engage through conversations (p. 33)
• Audience centricity (p. 33)
• Listening (p. 33)
• Point of view (p. 34)
• Stories and anecdotes (p. 34)
• Signals (p. 35)
• Prepare properly for public platforms (p. 35)
• Learn, rehearse, review, improve (p. 35)
• Part 2 The fundamentals (p. 37)
• 04 Learn to be yourself, better (p. 39)
• What followers want from leaders (p. 40)
• What do leaders want from the leaders they hire? (p. 41)
• Talking from the heart (p. 42)
• Be visible, be human and be straight (p. 44)
• To be seen as a hero, you have to be a hero (p. 46)
• All-round authenticity (p. 47)
• Have the confidence to be you (p. 48)
• Know your strengths to be yourself better (p. 49)
• How do you go about identifying your values and mission? (p. 50)
• A springboard to action, a leadership platform (p. 51)
• The need for emotion in business (p. 52)
• Key points from Chapter 4 (p. 54)
• 05 Provide a framework for leadership and action, through mission and values (p. 55)
• Values build trust (p. 58)
• Why people love a motivating mission (p. 59)
• Employees want a good mission statement (p. 61)
• Employees need to feel part of the story (p. 62)
• The need to raise people's sights (p. 62)
• Externally, a purpose wider than profit is needed (p. 63)
• Be an engine of progress for humankind (p. 64)
• Involve everyone in your mission (p. 66)
• Reputations at risk (p. 67)
• The need for speed and the need to create leaders (p. 68)
• Three examples of mission and values at work (p. 69)
• Make sure the values resonate (p. 72)
• The value of values (p. 73)
• Key points from Chapter 5 (p. 74)
• 06 Communicate the future to drive the present (p. 75)
• To talk about the future, you have to be very clear about the future (p. 76)
• Back to the future, over and over (p. 77)
• Keep people engaged in the future (p. 78)
• Your future must embrace all stakeholders (p. 79)
• Four examples of how leaders bring mission, values, vision and goals together (p. 79)
• Bring to life the customer's experience (p. 84)
• Key points from Chapter 6 (p. 85)
• 07 Bring the outside in and focus on building relationships and trust (p. 86)
• Loss of your 'licence to operate' (p. 88)
• Managing the intangible asset of relationships (p. 88)
• The virtuous circle in relationships (p. 90)
• The real value of trust (p. 90)
• Watch out for the reputation gap (p. 91)
• The three dimensions of trust (p. 92)
• Why leaders need to inject more character into their communication (p. 92)
• The health warning on building trust (p. 93)
• How to unlock the value in relationships (p. 94)
• Tuning in to the court of public opinion (p. 95)
• Get your hands dirty (p. 96)
• If need be, actually bring the client in (p. 97)
• The customer experience brings the vision alive (p. 97)
• How to develop quivering antennae (p. 98)
• But what do I do with the insights? (p. 98)
• Key points from Chapter 7 (p. 99)
• 08 Engage and align through conversations (p. 100)
• What is an engaged employee? (p. 101)
• Myth: 'People are our only asset' (p. 102)
• Engagement at the heart of strategy (p. 102)
• Choice, not change (p. 103)
• The ingredients of engagement (p. 104)
• Measure and monitor engagement (p. 105)
• Input equals buy-in (p. 106)
• Don't dominate the conversation (p. 107)
• If communication is so important, where is the training? (p. 108)
• Key points from Chapter 8 (p. 109)
• Part 3 Communicate, communicate, communicate (p. 111)
• 09 It's all about them - the need for audience centricity (p. 113)
• It's not what you say; it's what they hear (p. 114)
• What do you want them to think, feel and do? (p. 115)
• Don't change the message; change the way you deliver it (p. 116)
• How audience centricity helped to establish Canary Wharf (p. 117)
• The story of the privy (p. 118)
• How to think about your audience (p. 119)
• Key points from Chapter 9 (p. 120)
• 10 The inspiring effect of listening leaders (p. 121)
• Be interested, be respectful and be patient (p. 122)
• What stops effective listening? (p. 124)
• Listen with your eyes, ears and heart (p. 124)
• Listen for solutions (p. 125)
• Why leaders should be passionate about bad news (p. 126)
• Leaders can listen in different ways (p. 127)
• When you listen, you must respond (p. 128)
• The killer questions leaders should ask (p. 129)
• Good listening + a bias to action = results (p. 130)
• Key points from Chapter 10 (p. 131)
• 11 Stand up to stand out - why you need a point of view (p. 132)
• Using a point of view to take a stand (p. 134)
• Why you need an answer that works instantly (p. 135)
• The corrosive effect of not taking a stand (p. 136)
• What makes a good point of view? (p. 136)
• Key points from Chapter 11 (p. 137)
• 12 The power of stories (p. 139)
• Stories tell us great truths (p. 140)
• Logic gets to the brain, stories get to the heart (p. 141)
• The four types of business stories (p. 142)
• Good stories are easy to find and easy to tell (p. 146)
• Choosing the right story (p. 147)
• One simple story can achieve more than a volume of rules (p. 148)
• Key points from Chapter 12 (p. 149)
• 13 Watch out for the undermining signals beyond the words (p. 151)
• It's written on your face (p. 152)
• People watch your body language too (p. 153)
• When being visible is the message (p. 155)
• Model the behaviours you want (p. 156)
• The meaning between the lines (p. 156)
• Symbolic acts send lasting messages (p. 157)
• Speaking off the cuff (p. 157)
• Key points from Chapter 13 (p. 158)
• 14 Prepare properly for public platforms (p. 160)
• Get the right training and do the right preparation (p. 162)
• Remember, every word counts (p. 163)
• Simple messages repeated often (p. 164)
• Top tips for dealing with the media (p. 165)
• The essence of good presentations and speeches (p. 166)
• Communicating in a crisis (p. 168)
• And what about the web and social media and Twitter and...? (p. 172)
• Key points from Chapter 14 (p. 173)
• Part 4 Conclusion (p. 175)
• 15 Learn, rehearse, review, improve; become fluent in the language of leaders (p. 177)
• A top-three skill of leadership, yet sadly neglected (p. 179)
• Strive to be an excellent communicator, and you will improve results (p. 180)
• The language of leaders (p. 182)
• 16 If you remember nothing else... (p. 182)
• Meet the leaders interviewed for this book (p. 187)
• Thanks (p. 222)
• Index (p. 223)