Only Murders in the Storybuilding

He drags the knife from the soft underbelly. The red sticky substance clings to the knife tantalizingly. He wonders if he should lick the knife. His lips twitch.??

Confused? That’s because we dropped you right in the middle of the action of the story.??

We’re missing how we got here... and that makes this story confusing... and perhaps a bit dark.?

Well, let me give you some backstory. His name is Peter and he’s actually eating a jelly donut. He has been waiting the 40 long days of Lent to indulge in his favorite treat. Can you see how knowing his backstory gives an entirely different meaning? It changes from true crime to true dine (ba dum bum ??). Personally, I want to know more about Peter.?

Backstories are something that we, at Virtual Crown, consider a “Lucrative Intangible.” A Lucrative Intangible is something that cannot be measured because it is qualitative in nature, but when tapped into, will help your bottom line. Today’s lucrative intangible comes from unlocking the backstories of the characters in your own organization.??

The core of ANY story or business is the characters. In both stories and in business you must know your characters first and foremost. You need to see yourself, your employees, your clients, even your competitors in their humanity. Learn their backstories, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and discover what makes them tick. Perhaps this seems obvious at first (or maybe even overwhelming), but it is worth it.?

Your first challenge is helping your people see that their stories matter. Sometimes we don’t know what makes us unique or interesting because we’ve been with ourselves our whole lives. Malcolm Gladwell pointed this out in his MasterClass. Talking about interviewing for his books he said, "It's about alerting people to the parts of their lives that may seem banal to them, but in fact are not."??

Let’s start with YOU. How well do you know your own story? Have you thought about how it fits into your company’s story? I would imagine, as our team experienced, many of you haven’t investigated how your story fits into your workplace.??

In a recent company retreat, we took a few hours to do just that. Here’s a preview of how it went. We started by asking employees, “What made you first say yes to working with us?” We wanted to know what circumstances and motivations brought them to us initially. Common answers were right place/right time, money, opportunity, security, etc. Most companies stay here. However, it’s not enough. We found that the true value came from going past initial answers to what we call your “2 Deep Why.”??

When we focused on the 2 Deep Why the group’s answers changed. Their 2 Deep yes for being a part of the company changed to “this feels like home,” “I belong here,” “autonomy within community,” “it’s a safe place to be vulnerable,” “it’s a chance to use my creativity,” and “it’s a safe place to grow.”? Talk about lucrative intangibles!??

Now you have an opportunity to put us to the test. Here’s a recommended way to go about it. Start by gathering your company’s story.? Ask how and why it started. Discover the goals and backstories of the leaders of your organization. There is so much value in gathering stories before you cement your own.??

Once you’ve learned the stories around you, think about your past. What makes you YOU? Remember to not settle for the 1st answer, or even the 2nd. Instead, uncover the intrinsic part of your backstory that led you to where you work. Now, write it out and sit with it for a while. Consider brainstorming with your coworkers to see if you have any common themes.??

Ultimately, you are a Lucrative Intangible to your organization, so as you discover your 2 Deep Why, ask yourself the question, “Is this enough for me to stay?” Then act accordingly.?

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By Laura White, member of the Intellectual Property Team at Virtual Crown (with input from other members of the IP Team – especially the dad joke).?