Communication Is a Leadership Discipline

Whatever else leadership may be, it is experienced publicly. While it may emanate from within, it is a public phenomenon.

A burden of leadership is to be good at communicating. As Marine Lieutenant Colonel Rob Riggle said in the Foreword, “If you can’t communicate effectively, you will not lead.”

But there’s a paradox: Unlike most other skills a leader needs to master, communication seems to be something leaders already know; they’ve been communicating their whole lives. Just as a fish is unaware of the water it swims in, leaders often are unaware of their own communication abilities. Or lack thereof.

Communication has power, but like any powerful tool it needs to be used effectively or it can cause self-inflicted harm. In this book we’ve seen how leaders can suffer career-defining blunders if they don’t take communication as seriously as they take most other elements of their jobs. And how they can dramatically enhance their competitive position if they communicate well.