Thursdays Leadership Insight What's Your Story? What Makes Writing and Sharing Your Story Crucial to you and your leadership in the Reset

Here you are at a networking event, and you get to talk with several people. You are considering services you need for your company and know many of those service providers will be in attendance. One person who does provide the service you desire greets you by telling you who they are, how many degrees they have, the awards given to them and what they do, and why you need their services. You politely listen and quickly move on. Another person in the same field starts the discussion with a question such as "what leads you to become a …."? Or maybe "what is the best part of your job?" or how does this job fit in with your family? You find yourself sharing your story and asking this person similar questions to learn their story. You are fascinated by the quick connection you make and how you are energized by sharing familiar stories. Both individuals are offering the same service, and you need that service. Whom would you be most likely to work with? It would likely be the second person who listened to your story and shared their story, building connection, and energy. ?All of these questions ask the same thing "What is your story? "The person asking the question, if paired with present listening, is authentically seeking to build a connection with you based on your story, not his credentials, and will probably get your consideration.?

“The truth is the most important story we have is our story. All of us tell stories about ourselves. Stories define us"

Herminia Ibarra and Kent Lineback

We all love a good story. The truth is both people told a story; the first person shared how important they were. The second person told a story by focusing on you and not sharing theirs at your request. These stories created an emotional connection. Stories are much more impactful than a recitation of accomplishments, degrees, or positions. Stories are powerful and impactful because they show who we are. According to Pamela B Rutledge, Ph.D., in her post on Psychology Today,?"The Psychological Power of Storytelling,"?"Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. … Stories are how we explain how things work, how we make decisions, how we justify our decisions, how we persuade others, how we understand our place in the world, create our identities, and define and teach social values."

Herminia Ibarra and Kent Lineback, in a 2005 Harvard Business Review article "What's Your Story? Write that "The truth is the most important story we have is our story. All of us tell stories about ourselves. Stories define us. To know someone well is to know her story—the experiences that have shaped her, the trials and turning points that have tested her. When we want someone to know us, we share stories of our childhoods, our families, our school years, our first loves, the development of our political views, and so on. "They further note that well-crafted and shared constitute a significant factor in success in stressful times. Stories, especially in these times of challenge or transitions, build connections and create support. Leaders in this Reset period will be well served to consider and develop a well-crafted story for themselves and those they serve and lead. This Thursday's leadership insight will consider how developing your leadership story benefits you and those you serve and lead. This article will be the first in a four-part series on developing and sharing your leadership story. In the upcoming sections, we will consider the parts of a well–crafted leadership story and focus on the people and events that shaped your story. The third article will consider how your mindset, beliefs, values, and expectations evolved in your story. The final section will examine how to complete and share examples of leaders who have shared their stories with the organization.?

Tim Tobin, in a Smart Brief post sharing an excerpt from?"Your Leadership Story: Use Your Story to Energize, Inspire, and Motivate," writes that "understanding and communicating your leadership story can be quite powerful. Your leadership story is the collection of events, perspectives, and behaviors representing who you are as a leader. It evolves from your unique experiences. Your leadership story is not like that of the person in the next department. Hers is different; neither story is right or wrong.

"Your leadership story communicates the message of identity: who you are as a leader, what you believe in, what drives you and defines you as a leader, and how you act."

Tim Tobin

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?The process of reflection on and writing a leadership story provides a leader with clarity on;

1. The leader" s unique journey of development as a person

2. The leader's unique journey of development as a leader

4. The people who impacted and influenced their personal and leadership development?

5. The events that shaped the development of their leadership practice

6 A perspective on who they are currently as a leader. This perspective considers their motivation, why, mindset, beliefs, values, and alignment to their leadership practice.

7. A personal standard of accountability and commitment to guide their leadership practice to use learning and a possibility mindset to expand opportunities to open learning and growing possibilities

The leader's development and sharing of their story can positively affect those they lead and serve and the organization. Some examples of positive impact are;

1. The leader builds connection and trust with those they lead and serve, being perceived as an authentic, transparent, honest, humane individual. Michelle Ray notes in her book, Leading in RealTime, describes this leader as being a" Real "leader to those they serve

2. Encouraging a culture of learning and developing their own stories for all in the organization. Ray would term this encouragement as being a Relevant Leader

3. A energizing unifying, inspiring role – model to create a story for all in the organization and the organization itself.

4. A clarity of expectation for leadership and all in the organization and a path to leadership development

5. A clarity of the organization's culture, mission goals, and vision by addressing who we are, where we are going, and how we will get there. This would distinguish the leader as a Ready Leader per Ray.

"Whether you are a tenured leader or just beginning your journey. It's time to adopt a forward-thinking, future-ready leadership approach to be (real), ready, relevant"

Michelle Ray

A well-developed leadership story can be the impetus for leaders and their organizations to move forward in thinking in this uncertain time. Leaders with a well-crafted story are seen and valued as "Real, Relevant and Ready," as noted by Michelle Ray. In his book, Full Spectrum Thinking, Futurist Bob Johansen uses the term V.U.C.A. to describe the uncertain of today and the possibility for the future. Uncertainty can be described as V, Volatile, U, Uncertain, A, Ambiguous, and C, Complex. A leader who crafts a powerful story with actions moving forward can create what Johansen refers to as a positive V.U.C.A.environment. The alignment of story, action, and thinking can create V, Vision or Hope, U.understanding, C, Clarity and A, Agigilty of Adaptability. A well-crafted, delivered, and aligned leadership story can be a rallying point for any organization at this time to move forward. Like writing any book, this narrative will demand the hard work of reflection, introspection, humility, transparency, and vulnerability to develop and share. This story will have a benefit beyond the leader. This is the best time ever to use the time as an opportunity to answer one simple yet complex question, "what's Your Story."

The leadership question for you then is ;

1. Are you willing to take the time and effort to reflect, examine, and begin writing down your unique response o What's Your Story?

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