15 Characteristics of Leadership Writing

A few years ago, I worked with a national awards program called Leadership for a Changing World. Sponsored by the Ford Foundation, it honored grassroots leaders who were making life better in communities of hardship and possibility. That program continued as an initiative of New York University|Wagner. Curiously, these inspiring people did not think of themselves as leaders. But surely they practiced the kind of leadership we need most.

My job was to advise the award-winners on how to best frame and communicate their issues. As part of that work, I put together a list of characteristics of what I considered Leadership Writing. In 2018, these principles may seem archaic, even naive, but I continue to believe in their effectiveness and practice them. I hope these 15 principles are useful to you. Also, as you read the work of journalists, columnists, bloggers—or listen to the speeches of politicians—ask yourself if they exhibit these traits. My favorite leaders do.

Leadership Writing ....

1. Paints a picture of a world people will want to go to.
2. Consists of one third complaint, two-thirds solution.
3. Builds bridges rather than calling names.
4. Compares and contrasts in a respectful way.
5. Kills jargon.
6. Appeals to higher values shared by the opposition.
7. Offers contrarian, unexpected points of view.
8. Undermines stereotypes, reaches beyond the writer’s own culture.
9. Anticipates unintended consequences.
10. Avoids over-reliance on the “importance” of the issue. (Every issue is “important.”)
11. Looks for the simplifying model.
12. Helps people see what they already know but cannot picture.
13. Uses humor whenever possible.
14. Serves as an antidote to cultural depression.
15. Offers accurate hope, because there is no practical alternative.