The Language of Leaders

Inspiring communication can make the difference between poor performance and exceptional results. This is why CEOs and HR professionals now believe that the ability to understand, motivate and inspire others is the characteristic that is most important when recruiting senior leaders. Many leaders wrongly perceive they have to become inspired orators if they are to inspire others. Wrong. Language is a system of communication, so the issue is: What system should leaders use to inspire brilliant results? This is the question Kevin Murray answers in The Language of Leaders. Based on original interviews with an extraordinary list of more than 70 top leaders from a wide range of business and public sector organizations, this book provides a unique insight into how these leaders have responded to the demands of a transparent world. It reports on what they have learned and creates a lexicon for successful communication. The message from these leaders is resoundingly clear - communication is now one of the most crucial skills of leadership. Filled with actionable lessons and insights from leaders of high-profile organizations, The Language of Leaders is an invaluable book for anybody in a leadership position, or who aspires to lead. "A treasure chest of precious stories and ideas that will be of enormous value to all who read it for many years to come." John Heaps, Chairman, Eversheds Llp "Kevin Murray shows the key importance of communication for inspiring leadership. The Language of Leaders is required reading for anyone aspiring to lead a world-class organization." Professor Mark P. Taylor, Dean of Warwick Business School, University of Warwick "Kevin has written an essential, must-read book on why leaders need to be great at communicating and how they can best do it, packed with stories and insights." Tony Manwaring, Chief Executive, Tomorrow's Company "I have just read one of the most inspirational leadership books for a long time. The Language of Leaders by Kevin Murray examines how top chief executives communicate to inspire, influence and achieve results." Caroline Shaw, Chief Executive, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust "I was utterly fascinated by Kevin Murray's analysis of the need to make communication a top skill for leaders. His book has been invaluable. The "must have skills" for leaders he discusses have certainly struck a chord with me as I grapple with the challenge of leading an organisation of 3,000 staff." Heather Munro, Chief Executive, London Probation Trust "To anyone who aspires to be a good leader of people at any level in an organisation, The Language of Leaders is relevant, insightful, powerful and very clearly structured. . It is the most invaluable book for business leaders. I wish it had been written years ago." Paul Drechsler, Chairman & CEO, Wates Group "In an overcrowded field, this is a book about leadership that offers rare insight. Not only thanks to the wealth of interview material, but also thanks to the intimate nature of their answers. This is likely to be the result of Murray's view that we follow leaders because of how they make us feel." City AM "If you read the book, you'll find the content is compelling. Anyone who aspires to be a better leader will benefit from it." Jeremy Thompson, Managing Director, Gorkana