Your 2023 Strategy's Storytelling Plan
Matthew Woodget
??? CEO Go Narrative - Empowering Growth-Minded Execs & Midlife Leaders | Midsized Software & Tech Transformation / Educator, Creator, Author, Speaker, Networker / Geek & AI, Traveler, Husband & Father ????????????
Do you, as the boss, do all the work? No. How do you rally the entire company to get stuff done? In a corporation, it’s even more challenging – there is layer upon layer of ‘bosses.’
Are you a stick or a carrot leader?
Does your strategy story capture your team's attention, engage their emotions, and motivate them toward a unified goal? Does everyone understand the ‘what’ and the ‘why?’
Such a boss who relied on her people was “Jane” (names of people and programs have been changed to protect the innocent)
Jane was determined to lead ACME Clouds out of hardship and into success. She sought a unifying element that would unite everyone and urge them to outperform their primary competitor, EMCA Rain, to reach their goals.
Jane searched for an inspiring and innovative idea to help ACME Clouds surpass EMCA Rain. After extensive brainstorming and meetings, she devised The Cloud Quest - a plan that could catalyze success.
The ACME Clouds team embraced Jane's ingenious plan; they were to take two tasks each week from a list compiled by Jane’s experienced "Cloud Warriors," achieving points when completed within specified time frames. This fun and motivating approach aimed to beat the fast-rising rival EMCA Rain, dubbed "The Lords Of The Clouds," for their ability to quickly copy products and clients.
Employees enthusiastically welcomed the Cloud Quest; it gave them a clear, tangible goal beyond their regular duties. The potential for extra rewards like bonuses and vacation days motivated them to beat EMCA Rain's ambition of cloud software domination.
As news of The Cloud Quest spread, it eventually made it outside the company. Potential customers were drawn to ACME Clouds and the boost in customer numbers from the previous year was remarkable. Ultimately, their determination, combined with smart strategy execution, led to a decisive victory over the rival lords.
Jane isn’t just a great storyteller but a great storymaker. As a leader, you can create an experience that puts people in a story when you understand how to harness storytelling's power. When we hear a story, we have one foot in it, but when a story experience has been crafted intentionally, that is storymaking, and it pulls us in.
How could you get your entire company on track to take advantage of 2023 with the power of story? How are you wielding it?
How will you land your strategy or “roll it out” in 2023?
When planning your meetings, quarterly business reviews, presentation material, all-hands meetings, sales ‘ride alongs,’ and partner meetings, consider how you can wield the power of storytelling to create experiences that draw your employees in and turn them into evangelists for your strategy.
A story is the sugar coating on the bitter pill of boring.
It’s a delivery mechanism.
Do you have a story for your strategy?
Here are three [current] top story strategy priorities (per Gartner
In other words;
When I shared this blog topic with my thirteen-year-old son, here’s how I described it: companies are a little like families. Why do parents tell parables and stories like Little Red Riding Hood or The Boy Who Cried Wolf? My son replied;
“Instead of telling us what to do and making us feel like we are being told off or told what to do. A story is nicer and easier to remember.”
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Light it up when you focus
When COVID hit, and we parents found ourselves not only trapped at home but trapped at home with our kids, long before remote learning had kicked in, my wife and I divvied up a few subjects to focus on with our kiddos.
I was responsible for science. To this day, my youngest recalls with fond memories what we did with the lens of an old pair of glasses. His great, great grandfather's glasses. My father did the same with me (albeit without COVID) and handed down the lens to me.
The sun’s energy focused on a spot on the leaf, and my youngest watched in amazement as it burst into flames.
If even one department or team member (depending on the size of your company) goes off in a different direction from everyone else, the combined focus of all teams will be dulled, and you won’t ignite a flame in the hearts and minds of your people. Let alone your customers.
For your strategy to remain focused, all must understand and remember it. Doing so requires clarity in the details of your strategy and its mechanism to ensure everyone embraces and acts on the strategy.
Rapidly build shared understanding
Let’s say that your leadership team clearly understands the agreed strategy. After all, they helped created it, right?
This is typically achieved through discussion, debate, and alignment of the leaders of teams (or divisions in enterprises). Usually involving lots of meetings and coffee.
Unfortunately, more often than not, we don’t see that strategy documented. Or worse yet, there is a partial attempt to do so in a ‘memo’ or, worse yet, a slide deck ladened with charts and bullet points.
Boring is boring, and boring turns people off, and a 20-slide deck of charts and bullet points is boring. Do you want to engage and “light up” the minds of your people? Or do you like to send them to sleep? Think carefully about this because your people will make your strategy a reality.
Inspire your teams to act
A few things set humans apart from other animals, and one of those is the ability to use tools. We’ve come a long way from flint stones and spears. Whatever the technology, and however advanced, it is vital to getting things done. Adopting a strategy is a bit like adopting technology. We need to understand WHY we should use it before we can learn HOW to use it and WHAT it can do.
The problem? Well, there are two. First, you have to get your team to embrace the new (or “new to you”) technology or strategy. Then you have to train them to use it. Without the will to learn, you may find yourself relying on sticks to force compliance.
CRM is a prime example of a painful battle many companies experience. Salespeople may see the new system as a tool of oppression, tracking, and big brother breathing down their necks. “I know how to sell and have my way of managing myself.” What a perception! They are blinded to the potential benefits and see it as a threat.
A story is an ancient virtual reality technology that puts your employees in a future where they are using the required tool—and loving it because it solved a problem in the story for the story's hero.
What’s your strategy story?
As you put all your pieces in place to achieve your big goals in 2023, don’t forget that you need your people to absorb and act on your message.
Go Narrative’s Storytelling for Action program has various configurations to help you create and tell your strategy story. In the meantime, here’s how to develop your big story and a resource to help you tell the story.
In summary
Your story doesn’t have to be complex or long-winded - it needs to transport the idea and objectives clearly and entertainingly. Look at what we achieved in this blog post with a story and a few anecdotes (micro-stories). A well-crafted story simplifies the complexity of strategic plans into something everyone can identify with, connecting them emotionally and inspiring them to act.
Ready to start leveraging storytelling tools and frameworks to deepen consumer and employee relationships? Book a complimentary consultation with Go Narrative to learn more about how we can help you craft stories that strengthen brand trust and drive results.