A fast system for telling the very best tales
Telling stories with a purpose
Sometimes executives are so busy getting an audience's attention that they miss the point. For example, a personal anecdote is great, but only if it's related to what you're trying to communicate. In other words, it doesn't matter if your son won the state high school basketball tournament unless his game-winning shot says something about what your corporate team must do every day.
Add a moral to each story
To summarize this advice with leaders in a very simple way: End your story with the following comment: “I share this story because…” If you have trouble with this statement, your story has no moral, and therefore none should be Shared with your team.
Strategic storytelling
We have worked with numerous leaders over the years to help them develop personal life stories that relate to the vision, mission and strategy of their organizations.
Here's a great example of a story a CEO came up with to keep their team motivated:
“My wife and I are converting a house that we thought had great potential, but it took more work than we originally thought. We had to tear it down down to the tunnels and rebuild it. The whole experience reminds me of our work in a consumer-oriented company. It was wonderful five years ago but is now suffering from delayed maintenance. When we finish repairing we will feel great because we are all together. I share this story because I want us to never give up on improving our business, no matter how difficult it may seem today. "
CONTEXT: My wife and I bought a house that needed to be remodeled. We knew it could be great.
CHARACTERS: My wife and I
CONFLICT: It turned out that the house needed more remodeling than we expected.
MORAL: The whole experience reminds me of our work in a consumer-oriented company. It was wonderful five years ago but is now suffering from delayed maintenance. When we finish repairing we will feel great because we are all together. I share this story because I want us to never give up on improving our business, no matter how difficult it may seem today.
How do you strategically develop your stories to motivate your team?
– David Grossman
Get 8 Key Strategies to Lead and Communicate with the Heart to keep and motivate your employees to improve performance and get results. Click the image below to download your free copy of the eBook today – 8 Ways to Lead with Heart in Times of Uncertainty and Change.
