Organisational executives and leaders need to engage with the power of storytelling. Stories get people interested. They communicate the purpose behind what you are doing in a vivid way, in order to foster shared meaning.
Remember in a previous post I mentioned that “essentially re-socialisation is at the heart of change”, well then consider that stories have a lot of social content, and if mentally stimulating these stories lead to simulation of social experience, and the ability to infer the mental states of others (Raymond A Mar from the University of Toronto).
And we can further pull people into the change conversation by inviting them to contribute anecdotes and threads of their own to the story-line.
But if you keep your strategy locked behind the boardroom door, and don’t effectively engage and tap into the teams and people that can help turn that strategy into reality, then your strategy may remain a closed book.
Also people don’t always grasp statistics, report data or bullet points in complex often tedious presentations, but stories are easily assimilated because they are cross-cultural and capture the minds-eye. The human brain is hard-wired for stories, and they have the power to instantly stir up emotion and relatedness.
So story is a more inclusive way of explaining and presenting the strategy because everyone loves stories! Think about how teachers struggle to control mischievous children all day long but come story time at the end of the day: all sit quietly of their own will and listen with great curiosity as the storyteller evokes their imaginations. Think of the great politicians and leaders of our time, and how they used the power of stories to rally for action and change.
And so, you can be a better leader of your people by getting the strategy out of the boardroom and spreading it through the hallways of your organisation. And you can do this best by telling it and building it through story. Tell it with purpose and meaning. Tell it with passion. And plan it – have a beginning, middle and end. Who are the key role players? What’s in it for them? Explain how you see it unfolding from your perspective, and then open the floor to your community, and change your role at that point from storyteller to story-builder by inviting the contributions of others to build a much richer, deeper and co-created narrative.
Strategic storytelling is a way to translate strategy into something more tangible that sticks in people’s minds, gets people talking, gets people motivated and creates a common narrative that all can associate with and work towards.
Need help with your strategic storytelling?
Contact caroline@changestory.co.za