Leading With Words-Smita Das Jain

Book: Leading With Words
Author: Smita Das Jain
Publisher: Srishti Publications

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever wanted to understand and improve on your communication skills?

Leading With Words is your go-to guide to mastering the everyday conversations that define successful leadership. Packed with real-life insights, actionable frameworks, and ready-to-use strategies, this book offers a practical roadmap to Lead effective meetings and virtual teams; Present and speak with authority; Give feedback, handle conflicts and influence decisions; Communicate like a pro even if you’re an introvert; Inspire, Influence and Drive Success as a Transformative Leader. Whether you’re leading a team, managing a crisis, presenting in meetings or navigating difficult conversations, this book gives you the tools to communicate with clarity, confidence and impact. Simple, smart and actionable, this is the ultimate communication playbook for anyone looking to lead with confidence in the modern workplace.

When it comes to books on leadership and communication, quite often we find them verbose, preachy and mostly ineffective in the context of the Indian Corporate world. Smita’s book, on the other hand, is neither of the three. The book is written in the form of a discussion between 3 people, and you feel almost like sitting with them and learning from your peers at work. The conversational tone also helps you relate to it as if you are conversing with a friend or a colleague which make the points even easier to imbibe. The concepts have been neatly explained and there are no aspects which are not easy to implement in your daily life. What I loved about the book was its alignment with the contemporary work place, and Smita covers communication in virtual environments, emails as well as office chats on messaging applications. The chapters are succinct, to-the-point and actionable, which make them appealing to a person spending most of their waking hours at a workplace. Another good aspect of the book was that it is replete with examples and they are tailored to the Indian context, which was a bonus. Each chapter ends with a summary and a list of small activities one can take up to improve their communication skills. The writing is simple and jargon-free, making it easy to understand. The key points are bulleted which is an added bonus for the reader to be able to focus on the content.

Drawing from her experience across leading multi-national firms, Smita’s book is a ready reference for all who are looking to develop a leadership mindset, and to grow into the next role in life. The tips in the book are not just for working professionals or corporate employees, but are also important life skills that can help you succeed in all walks of life. A book that is definitely recommended from me, it scores a 4.94/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book from a bookstore near you or on Amazon India.