David Marquet: Leadership is Language

David Marquet is the former commander of the U.S.S. Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered attack submarine. Under David’s command, the ship had an impressive turnaround, achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the Navy.

David is the author of the bestseller Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders* and his newer book, Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t*.

In this rebroadcast, David and I explored the seven sins of questioning. David shared the story of the ill-fated El Faro and how we can discover better information in leadership by making the shift from self-affirming to self-educating.

Seven Ways to Ask Better Questions

1. Instead of questions stacking, try one and done.


2. Instead of a teaching moment, try and learning moment.


3. Instead of a dirty question, try a clear question.


4. Instead of a binary question, start the question with “what” or “how.”


5. Instead of a “why” question, try “tell me more.”


6. Instead of a self-affirming question, try self-educating questions.


7. Instead of jumping to the future, start with the present, past, then future.

Resources Mentioned

• Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t* by David Marquet


• Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders* by David Marquet

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