I have to admit I wrote this article when I was angry.
Storytelling is an amazing tool for leaders.
I knew that.
I have shared with clients large and small, ways to use story so that the organisation culture aligns across all service and administrative points, how to use it to encourage, support and build staff.
But it makes me angry when I find myself supporting others who have to work with the horrible situations created by leaders who use bullying or who simply rely on the way things have always been done,
and to see the results of a corporate culture that worships the bottom line at the expense of the people who produce that bottom line.
So this article is certainly about the value of story for leaders, and maybe I let my mood at the time dominate a bit too much,
but the people I was really thinking about were a couple of young professional clients who wanted to lead with strength and integrity, and were open to new strategies. It was such a pleasure to work with them.
Every day you put yourself on the line as a leader.
Don't you?
Every day you feel the weight of responsibility.
Don't you?
Every day you need your team contributing to the organisation.
Don't you?
Of course you do.
You don't, you can't, protect yourself at the expense of others.
You don't, you can't, pass off the responsibility and, worse yet, blame someone else.
You don't, you can't, bully your team into working.
Because it's so much easier and more effective with story.
1. After all it's free and it's quick. Think about the bottom line in this.
You don't have to pay a consultant/trainer/motivator to come in to explain the organisation culture,
to motivate your team,
to train in how best to get the job done,
to communicate the bad news,
to establish your credibility.
2. You have a powerful persuasive tool, that guarantees instant engagement.
You don't have to use bullying.
You don't have to pull rank.
You don't have to have enforced motivational days that your team recognise for what they are - a day to relax and ignore.
3. You don't have to keep repeating yourself. Your messages become memorable.
The basics of your organisational culture are retained.
The training is remembered.
The motivation is embedded.
The engagement ensured that.
The story structure ensured that.
The stories you chose ensured that.
4. You can be real
natural
authentic
even vulnerable ... within limits.
Real, natural, authentic, vulnerable (within limits) makes you more likable, more respected, more believable, more credible, more persuasive
and it's easier,
especially if bullying and/or pulling rank and/or using endless theory and statistics are not your natural bent.
5. Your team, your customers, your prospects can make sense of your organisation.
They will know automatically what your culture is like,
what your brand really stands for,
what it is like to do business/work with/rely on you.
They will know your why.
All without sleazy or incomprehensible marketing.
And they will know it at a very deep level.
If you are a leader, Your story matters.
Author: Bronwyn Ritchie is a story strategist, helping speakers, business owners and leaders get results using story. Define your story, Tell it, Change the world (and yours) If you would like a new way to move forward with your life, your speaking or your business/leadership, simply fill in the form at http://bit.ly/1SKWC8j and find out how to harness the powerful tool for change and success that is story. Your story matters!
