Leaders and Language: Seeking a Response

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

     And those who love it will eat its fruit."

                                                            -Proverbs 18:21

In leadership, we use the tongue.  It is a small muscle - but it wields undeniable power.

Leaders must understand this: What and how we speak will convey different expectations as to how we hope others will respond.

I found this interesting - from some comments on American leadership culture from the 1950's to the present.

Arguably, we can distinguish Four Styles of Leadership Communication:

1)  Military Commander - Where leaders come out of an "army think" and expect unquestioning obedience from subordinates.

2)  Chief Executive Officer - A style driven by leaders expressing a vision to be shared by everyone.  Still a top down model and narrow in scope.

3)  Coach - Those that are being led are seen as players on a team.  But possibilities are limited to the vision of the coach.

4)  Poet - Leaders give language to express the heart of the team.  They develop others by giving encouragement and direction.  They fully recognize the power of words and seek to use them wisely.

I encourage you to pay attention as to what might be your preferred style of communicating - or the current  home or work culture in which you live.