Head: (3 of 5)
Heart: (4.5 of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (4.5 of 5)

Lisa Marshall starts the journey into the book Speak the Truth and Point to Hope: A Leader's Journey to Maturity with a poem, and throughout uses poetic inquiry to reach readers on multiple levels. Marshall offers a unique and timely perspective on viewing leadership and its role in society. She makes a compelling argument that story telling is the best way to build an organization and to mature as a leader. She states that effective leaders must set moods, tell stories, make connections with others, and control their own behavior. Leaders also must have a sense of possibility and accountability if they are to succeed.

Marshall explains that through the process of story telling, leaders begin to engage others and make them want to become part of the stories. Through the process, Marshall identifies emotional intelligence and maturity as overlying themes for effective leadership and compelling story telling. Interwoven into the book are stories based on interviews with various leaders in American business. The book challenges readers to reflect on themselves and their stories. Speak the Truth and Point to Hope is well worth reading and Marshall's contribution to the topic of leadership is not only unique, but also heartwarming and compelling. Buy it.