To Stand Out Or To Fit In?

When the word 'unique' slides out of our mouths, most of us feel a tug at our shirttail. It's not an actual tug but a moment when the screen goes fuzzy before returning to regularly scheduled programming.

To be unique, some say, is to be as common and predictable as anyone in our lives.

Yet, we desperately want to separate ourselves, our brands, our organizations, our ideas, and our innovations from the masses, illustrating distinction, applause, and comprehensive mastery of our respective domains.

Is this possible without flaunting our unbridled ego, and can we tell our story without pretense?

We live in a world where words can be cheap and positions positionless. It can be hard for those aiming to tell a more vibrant story about themselves and/or their organization to find the words that adequately tell a story of substance.

We battle countless publications, press releases, publicists, and PR inbound emails, wondering how our story will ever find real estate, of any consequence within the hearts and minds of our teams, our consumers, or our professional and influential network.

Our story is caught between two floors on an elevator going nowhere.

Can we find our authentic voice as leaders and sync our perspective, steeped in experience, with that of the organizations we represent?

The answer is Yes!

Pretend, for just a moment, that we are in collaboration - I, your coach, and you, my coachee.

You have sought me out to find your voice and that of your organization.

You share all of the key elements that bring to life your LinkedIn profile, including anecdotes your family would smile at. Then, you share a bulleted list of your organization's accomplishments and smile at me through the power of Zoom's pixelated landscape.

I cordially affirm the relevance of your storytelling and pause with nonverbal communication. I begin to inquire about the ecosystem you inhabit, working towards an understanding of the role you and your organization play and represent to the market. I aim to determine the compatibility between your singular voice of leadership and that of the organization you represent and/or the team you lead daily.

It is too easy to say we are unique or sit at the center of our given universe. Story, and the power of storytelling often resides on the edges, the tantalizing crust of a perfectly cooked slice of pizza. Remember, it's the crust we can't stop nibbling on even as the box nestles into its original occupation as just an empty box. If we have children, we often snatch uneaten crust as we stand up from the restaurant table - a mere snack for the drive home.

As I decipher the actual coordinates of your voice and that of your organization, I start to understand both the challenge and the opportunity.

So I proceed to ask a basic question: In the puzzle that is you and your life, what piece represents you, and why?

If I'm keynoting, I put the three images (above) on the screen. I want to know where you think you slot in as a character in the larger story of you and the professional ecosystem.

Are there reasons you may want to settle into a comfortable and less public position?

Is there a rationale for creating storytelling campaigns that slightly turn an industry norm on its respective head?

Some of our stories are baked in compliance; we want and need to be compliant and public-facing.

Some of our stories have the ability to draw comparison, distinction, or novelty throughout the market.

And, sometimes, our stories can step out onto center stage with all eyes upon us.

There is an art and a science to storytelling. Just sharing our news weakens our position. Just sharing our perspective, without context or vulnerability, threatens to box out any opportunity to connect, and worse yet, it runs the risk of portraying us as arrogant or tone-deaf.

It is creatively imperative that we separate our objectives for sharing our story from the characters in the story.

Establishing a narrative focus keeps our eyes on the story elements that generate attraction, similar to a product's distinguishing feature set.

The science of storytelling lies in the sequence, the narrative rollout that walks the audience through the importance of your story and the reason they should care. This is precisely why we love a great movie or book because the journey keeps us interested, respects our intellect, and challenges our assumptions.

The next time you and/or your organization think about narrative differentiation, take a professional timeout.

Think about the Impact Zone of the story you propose to distribute publicly. The 'blast radius' of your news or story should reach the audience segments intended through purposeful storytelling that undergirds the context and role you and your organization represent industry-wide.

The story we tell can indicate our relative standing among our competitors.

The story we share can reveal a prominent step forward in our pursuit of market share.

The characters we write into our industry's storylines can turn heads, put others on notice, or redefine the value of our larger contributions.

The question remains, "Do you want to say that you belong or have arrived, or do you want your story to capture the power of your character?"

Both questions are relevant.

Both answers have a story.

-Rod

If you have thought about re-upping your organization's story 'game,' let's chat!