David Marquet, the former commander of the USS Santa Fe and author of 'Leadership is Language,' dives into the art of questioning in leadership. He highlights the seven sins of questioning, emphasizing that leading questions often stifle genuine dialogue. By discussing the tragic El Faro disaster, he showcases how effective communication can prevent crises. Marquet advocates for clear, open-ended inquiries and creating psychological safety in teams, urging leaders to shift from self-affirming to self-educating questions for better organizational performance.
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El Faro Tragedy
The El Faro, a 790-foot ship, sank in a hurricane despite modern equipment.
All 33 crew members died due to ineffective communication and a flawed leadership structure.
insights INSIGHT
Red Work vs. Blue Work
Modern work requires everyone to be both a thinker (blue work) and a doer (red work).
The traditional separation of these roles hinders effective leadership and decision-making.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Avoid Question Stacking
Avoid question stacking; ask one clear question at a time.
Give others time to respond and listen actively to their perspective.
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In 'Turn the Ship Around!', Captain L. David Marquet recounts his experience as the commander of the USS Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine. Initially trained in the traditional 'know all–tell all' leadership model, Marquet faced significant challenges when he took command of the Santa Fe, which was then one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet. He realized that the traditional leader-follower approach was ineffective and decided to implement a leader-leader model, where every crew member was empowered to take responsibility and make decisions. This approach led to a dramatic improvement in morale, performance, and retention, transforming the Santa Fe into one of the best submarines in the fleet. The book provides practical insights and strategies for implementing this leadership model in various organizational settings.
Leadership Is Language
The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don't
L. David Marquet
In 'Leadership Is Language,' L. David Marquet provides a radical playbook for empowering teams by focusing on the power of language in leadership. Drawing from his experience as a nuclear submarine captain, Marquet outlines practical strategies and real-life examples to enhance communication skills, foster collaboration, autonomy, and high performance. The book emphasizes the importance of language in shaping organizational culture and employee engagement, introducing concepts such as 'intent-based leadership' and the role of questions in effective communication. Marquet offers six key 'plays' for leaders, including controlling the clock, collaborating rather than coercing, committing rather than complying, and connecting rather than conforming, to create a more empowering and collaborative work environment.
Humble Inquiry
Edgar Schein
In this book, Edgar H. Schein and Peter Schein define Humble Inquiry as 'the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.' The authors explore how Humble Inquiry differs from other kinds of inquiry, provide examples of its application in various settings, and discuss how to overcome cultural, organizational, and psychological barriers to its practice. The book emphasizes the need for open and trusting communication in today's complex, interconnected world, and offers practical advice on developing the attitude and skills necessary for Humble Inquiry[1][2][4].
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 has just released his new book, Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t*.
In this conversation, David and I explore the seven sins of questioning. David shares 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.
Key Points
A leading question comes from a place of thinking the person is wrong, or that you have the answer. I hear this a lot from people who think they have the right answer but don’t want to use say so, so they use the Socratic method as a “teaching moment.” It’s annoying and arrogant.
Self-affirming questions are often binary questions with a special motivation: to coerce agreement and make us feel good about the decision we have already made.
Seven Ways to Ask Better Questions:
Instead of question stacking, try one and done.
Instead of a teaching moment, try a learning moment.
Instead of a dirty question, try a clear question.
Instead of a binary question, start the question with “what” or “how.”
Instead of a “why” question, try “tell me more.”
Instead of a self-affirming question, try self-educating questions.
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
David Marquet’s website
Related Episodes
Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229)
These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237)
The Path of Humble Leadership, with Edgar Schein and Peter Schein (episode 363)
How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404)
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