How to encourage your boss to be a storyteller

Of the many things I’ve learned about business over the last 20-something years, my least favourite is how little company leaders understand and appreciate the creative process. It probably makes some sense, as entrepreneurs often have business acumen in spades, where number-crunching and the practicalities of being successful are second nature. But have business owners become more sensitive to those ingredients that make for a more wholesome organisation? The jury is still out.

My own experience says no, business owners still need hard evidence of the impact something creative will make to the bottom line. Perfectly understandable. They are often wired this way. Yet, hard evidence is often difficult to muster when it comes to predicting how well your company might do on Instagram, or what your Twitter followers add to your ROI. This can lead to spending money on expensive analytics software that turns content into numbers, which makes the pulling of wool over people’s eyes so much easier, and will keep you in the job for about a year and a half before you move on to your next number-loving employer.

If your boss is more content-savvy and understands the role of thought leadership in building a community of potential clients, you may be on to a winner. Stay with them for as long as they’re in a job. They will be your champion while you build a structure of storytelling that ultimately makes the sales team look like gods. They will be your advocate in management meetings; the wall between the number crunchers and the creative talent you’ve pulled together to increase visibility. But don’t be surprised when, if things start to turn sour, your head is first on the chopping block. It’s the nature of the beast.

Don’t be an imposter. Be a driver of optimism and adventure

Imposter syndrome is rife in all walks of employment. It doesn’t discriminate. You may feel inferior to the designer sitting next to you, even when you’re just as good (or better). The same can be said of cross-departmental occupations, where people from HR or operations see you and your marketing buddies as expendable. You may have even heard (as I have) people refer to creative teams as “a nice luxury, but are they necessary?”

Knowing the value you bring is the first step in knowing how to change an organisation from the inside out. Some companies are set up around the sales team. While they close sales easily, they may find it difficult to court new clients. So know your role. Know how to craft content that appeals to the audience the company needs in order to increase the likelihood of new clients. Recognise the part you play in the bigger picture. It may be hard to justify your presence to the naysayers, but your designs, your social media posts, your blogs, your podcasts and your videos helped kick-start so many conversations and meetings that passed the analytics software by.

I’m not a number cruncher. I’m an optimist who observes human behaviour, and I regularly see what works and what doesn’t. It’s time, endeavour and experience that leads me to make the decisions I make, and this is my approach to working with anyone. I could pull the wool over your eyes if I was that way inclined, and if you were easy pickings. Instead, I invite you – leader or not – to join me on the content adventure so that you can see what’s involved, and what it takes to get people to take notice of you and want to buy from you. It’s as much a leader’s responsibility to put the spreadsheet down and get involved in the content strategy, and not be the imposter on the creative side of the road.