Transform Your Team with These 6 Leadership Language Plays — The Ultimate Guide

Leadership is a practice shaped by the language we use every day. In Leadership Is Language, David Marquet outlines six plays that redefine leadership communication for the modern age.

1. Control the Clock: Learn to create deliberate pauses in high-pressure environments to enable bluework—reflective thinking—and avoid costly mistakes. Tools like the Andon cord and preplanned signals empower teams to pause without fear.

2. Collaborate, Not Coerce: Replace commands with invitations. Use open-ended questions and anonymous voting before discussions to preserve diverse perspectives and foster psychological safety.

3. Commit: Encourage personal ownership by shifting from passive agreement to action-based language. Phrases like 'I intend to...' empower accountability and momentum.

4. Complete: Emphasize finishing work in manageable chunks to build motivation and enable continuous learning through milestones.

5. Improve: Cultivate vulnerability by welcoming feedback and admitting mistakes. This creates a culture of trust and continuous growth.

6. Connect: Flatten power gradients by building authentic relationships and trusting teams first. This foundation enables all other plays to succeed.

This visual represents how the plays work together to form a cohesive leadership system.

Implementing these plays requires intentional language choices, cultural shifts, and practice. Leaders who master this playbook unlock the full potential of their teams, fostering resilience, innovation, and engagement.

For deeper dives and practical tips, check out resources from Bookey and MakeHeadway, which offer summaries and actionable insights from Marquet’s work. 2 1