L. David Marquet, former nuclear submarine commander and author of Leadership Is Language, shares a precise, operational approach to leadership, one that replaces command-and-control with a language designed for clarity, ownership, and adaptability. Drawing on his experience turning the USS Santa Fe from one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet to one of the best, David shows how seemingly small shifts in language can radically improve decision-making, learning speed, and execution.

David rejects the traditional leader–follower model in favor of a leader–leader framework, where decision rights are pushed “to the people closest to the information.” He explains how questions, statements, and the timing of communication directly shape whether teams think critically or default to compliance.

“What we say and when we say it changes what people do. Language is a leadership technology.”

• Replace Permission with Intent
  Moving from “Can I…?” to “I intend to…” changes accountability and ownership:
  “When people tell me what they intend to do, they’re already owning the decision.”
  
  

• Protect Redwork and Bluework
  David distinguishes between redwork (doing) and bluework (thinking/planning) and stresses keeping them separate:
  “Mixing them degrades both. You want focused doing and focused thinking.”
  
  

• Sequence for Thinking, Not Speed
  Meetings often reward quick answers over thoughtful ones. Asking the most junior person to speak first helps reduce conformity bias.
  
  

• Use Language to Invite Dissent
  Adding uncertainty—“I’m not sure, but…”—creates psychological safety and surfaces crucial information that might otherwise stay hidden.
  
  

• Leaders Design Systems, Not Just Give Answers
  The leader’s job is to build communication structures that distribute thinking and enable faster adaptation in changing conditions.
  
  

This episode is a practical blueprint for leaders who want to operationalize empowerment without losing control. By deliberately changing how they speak and listen, executives can create teams that are more resilient, accountable, and high-performing.

Get David’s new book here: https://shorturl.at/sv6QO

Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions

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Sarah Elk, Senior Partner at Bain & Company and global leader of its operating model work, brings a clear, pragmatic lens to why so many large-scale change efforts fail to stick. Drawing on decades of advising multinational organizations, she diagnoses the structural and behavioral traps that cause transformations to stall, and shares the disciplines that make change durable.

Elk emphasizes that transformation is not a one-off program but an enduring capability that must be “led from the top and embedded in the culture.” She cautions against outsourcing responsibility to a program office:

“If the CEO is not leading it and the leadership team isn’t engaged in the change, you might get something done, but it will erode quickly.”

Key Insights from the Conversation:

Clarity on Non-Negotiables

Many failed transformations lack a shared definition of the “non-negotiables” in the new operating model. Without them, execution becomes fragmented.

“You have to be crystal clear on what’s standard and what’s flexible.”

Outcomes Over Activity

Successful change efforts anchor to measurable business results, not just activity metrics or generic benchmarks.

“It’s not about hitting 80 percent of a checklist. It’s about whether you’ve moved the needle on the outcomes you care about.”

Leadership Alignment Is a Continuous Process

Alignment isn’t built in a single offsite; it requires ongoing dialogue, joint problem-solving, and confronting decisions that challenge entrenched interests.

“You need the leadership team acting as one—every week, every month—not just at the kickoff.”

Manage Change Fatigue

Overloading the organization erodes momentum. Sequencing initiatives and celebrating visible early wins tied to strategy helps sustain energy.

“People get tired. You have to show progress and give them space to breathe.”

Governance, Incentives, and Talent Must Evolve Together

Elk warns that without parallel changes to systems and structures, “behavior will revert to what it was before.”

The discussion reframes transformation from a high-profile event into a muscle organizations must build and maintain. For executives seeking change that endures beyond the initial push, Elk offers a blueprint grounded in operational rigor, leadership accountability, and cultural realism.

Get Sarah’s book here: https://shorturl.at/Tyotz

Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos

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John Horn, professor of economics at Washington University's Olin Business School and former McKinsey strategist, shares a disciplined framework for understanding competitive behavior by applying game theory and structured simulations. In this episode, he explains how companies can elevate competitor analysis from basic intelligence gathering to actionable strategic insight.

Horn begins by debunking the common misconception that many competitors behave irrationally. As he puts it:

“Every single time a client said the competitor is irrational, I could ask them... two, three questions which would explain... why the company was being rational in what they were doing.”

He outlines a four-step framework leaders can use to model likely competitive behavior:

1. Observe what competitors say and do, including press releases, earnings calls, and other public data.
   
   

2. Assess their assets, resources, and capabilities, and imagine what you'd do in their position.
   
   

3. Identify the decision-maker and their background to infer how they think:
   
   

“If you grew up as a marketer and you became a CEO, you’re going to look at the world from a marketing perspective.”

1. Make a short-term prediction, write it down, and revisit it:
   
   

“It becomes a virtuous cycle of getting a better insight into how that competitor thinks.”

Horn emphasizes that many firms fall short because they stop at step one or lack mechanisms to feed deeper insights into decision-making. He also stresses the role of empathy—not sympathy—in strategy:

“I do have to empathize, understand why they’re making the choices they make.”

War gaming, in Horn's view, is a powerful simulation tool, not theater.

“It’s a chance to practice business choices in a risk-free way... and just a much more realistic discussion.”

For entrepreneurs or under-resourced teams, Horn offers a lighter-weight version called "War Gaming Lite," which enables rapid, structured thinking about competitive responses using only internal knowledge and role-playing.

He also discusses how human biases, short-term incentives, and lack of time make both your firm and your rivals more predictable than you might think:

“People really are predictable... It’s not rocket science—it’s about being disciplined.”

Whether you're a startup founder or a Fortune 500 executive, this episode offers practical steps to improve your strategic foresight and competitive positioning, grounded in empathy, behavioral realism, and iterative prediction.

Get John’s book here: https://shorturl.at/6DOyh

Inside the Competitor's Mindset: How to Predict Their Next Move and Position Yourself for Success.

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