The Language of Leadership. . - book review

School Administrator, Sept, 2002 by Rene Townsend

Force, persuasion, and trickery are three ways to do business. For Roger Soder of the Center for Educational Renewal at the University of Washington, persuasion is the only way to create real, lasting change.

Effective persuasion requires making conscious decisions about what we say, how we say it and, most importantly, why we say what we do.

Don't look for 10 easy steps to successful leadership in Soder's The Language of Leadership. Books with checklists may be helpful for quick reminders, but real leadership is developed over time, with careful study and thoughtful analysis of the words, deeds and wisdom (or lack of it) of both positive and negative leaders. Drawing on the words and examples from Plato to Tocqueville, Machiavelli to Julia Childs, Soder makes his case for the power of language regarding what and how leaders seek information, handle ethical issues and operate in the political context of the times.

Soder offers five principles of information seeking regarding who tells you and what and why they tell you--or don't. He illustrates the complexity of gathering data for decision making. The fifth principle, "How you go about seeking information speaks to your character," is particularly intriguing.

His chapter on Leadership, Reconciliation and Reconstitution is instructive and inspiring, for as even the most skilled leader knows, things go wrong. "To know how to lead when things are going well is useful knowledge. Perhaps more useful is the knowledge of what to do, and of what one ought to do, when things fall apart."

The final chapter, Reflections and Directions, is worth the price of the book. Becoming a better leader requires continually seeking to know ourselves better, and Soder's examination of the power of language for leaders is a contribution to that search.

(The Language of Leadership by Roger Soder, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, Calif., 2001, 210 pp. with index, $28 softcover)