Lead with Story

Storytelling?

This is the 21st century, not Ancient Greece. Is storytelling really that important in this hyper-connected, fast-paced world?

You bet your Rudyard Kipling ass it is.

The roaring engine of story has always driven big movements in history. Why?

Because stories drive emotion and emotion drives action.

Narratives and the stories that support them also win wars. Remember Thermopylae and the handful of Spartans who held that narrow pass at cost of their own lives? Woven into a compelling narrative and retold thousands of times over in individual stories, it mobilized an entire nation to defend against Persia.

Story is the reason many Americans swell with pride after watching the opening scene of George C. Scott as the legendary General Patton in Patton (1970). It's why athletes rush the field to rally a win after a rousing halftime speech from their coach. Stories persuade us to reach into our pockets at Christmastime to help the less fortunate. Hell, even New Coke had a storyline. (I didn't say all stories worked. I simply said all big movements were tied to a story. But I bet you at least tried New Coke, didn't you?)

"No matter how wonderful and fulfilling your body of work is, if you want people to believe in it, act on it, be moved by it, or buy it," says Pamela Slim in her book Body of Work, "you must shape it into a cohesive narrative and tell powerful stories."

Think about your first job interview. Sitting across from you was an employer asking you why she should consider you for the job. How did you convince her to hire you above all the other dorks sitting in the waiting room?

Now think of the toughest proposal you ever had to pitch at work. It meant convincing skeptics who were not in favor of change. Resistance was heavy on all sides. How did you handle it?

It's early in the morning on a crisp fall day. You're standing at a bus stop with your child on her first day of school. It's not clear who has the bigger lump in their throat, you or the little one who's death-clinging to your leg. How do you convince her to take that terrifying first step onto the bus?

Story.

Story is the answer to all of the questions above.

Stories work because they reach us emotionally, and emotion is what drives people to perform meaningful actions, not just reason. Too often in business, we only try and connect with people on a rational level but this isn't enough to actually change how people behave. People may understand what you want them to do but if they aren't emotionally engaged, they just won't do it.

So, the first thing I'm asking you to do is embrace your role as Storyteller In Chief and really learn the components of story. In particular, I'd love you to see you develop your own backstory. Think of a moment in your life, an origin story if you will, a major shift. It was a catalyst moment, a pivotal moment in your life that shifted you in another direction. Maybe it was the day your parents divorced, maybe you changed schools, maybe you lost your job, but everything you knew about the world changed. For me it was when a Green Beret walked into the soda shop when I was 14 years old.

And then I want you to talk to about the struggle that ensued, the journey, the hero's journey that you went on to overcome that. Talk about how you overcame it. Talk about the struggle and what it was like because that's when we find you relatable.

Then talk about the resolution. What did you learn? How did you change? What did it show you about the world? Because if you can do that, we will have a sense of you and we will trust you. It permeates gaps. It closes the gaps between ethnicity, religion, culture, and class.

 Once you've done that I want you to listen to the stories of others. Position yourself as a great listener. Ask open-ended questions that let people tell you their story. With storytelling, most people think they have to do all the talking. I will tell you the most powerful stories in the world are not the ones you tell, they're the ones you ask to hear. If you want to lead with story, if you want to change the game, be the Storyteller In Chief, develop your own hero's journey or origin story, and listen more than you talk. Ask to hear powerful stories and recycle them back into the conversation. Huge validation makes you relevant, and people will give you the story that you need to hear.

Until next time, keep changing the game and I'll see you on the rooftop.