Tell Me a Story

The other day at dinner my friend reminded me that her son, David, loved it when I made up stories for him.  He was always the hero and usually he had a cape and super powers.  Not surprisingly stories worked magic on a 3 year old, but I’ve come to realize they work at all ages.

We know instinctively that stories motivate and provide direction, and leadership research supports this.  Classes are devoted to helping leaders tell their personal stories and develop ones about their group’s mission and purpose.

I want to encourage you as managers and leaders to use stories, of all kinds, as an ongoing source of inspiration for yourself and others.

The keys to this?  Notice, note, and share!

Notice – pay attention to what the people around you are doing – what’s working well, what’s creative, funny, exciting, innovative.  Observe your leaders, employees, peers, and customers.

Note – jot down what you notice in a place and format that work for you.

Share – look for every opportunity to communicate using your observations – they are simply, at their essence, very short stories. When you lead a meeting (1:1’s, routine staff meetings, all-hands sessions), check your notes. Find a story to tell.  When you make a presentation, find a story. If you post an internal document, on a Wiki for example, use a story. And of course social media provides endless opportunities to share your stories and forward others.  

And the best stories are ones about people making a big difference in some way, being heroes. These were kind of stories David enjoyed most.  I guarantee your people will too!