In our ‘post truth’ age we seem (to me) to be spending ever more time, energy and emotion in a battle of stories, each vying for our attention, belief and support. You can’t switch on the radio, tv or social media these days and help but be inundated by a tidal wave of competing narratives, stories and ‘facts’.
And it’s not just confined to the world of politics and media. It is equally true in our everyday world of work.
As I reflect on working with an exciting hyper-growth global client, it’s clear a big part of their success has been their ability to reduce the time, productivity and frankly the good-will lost across the different parts of the business to the ‘battle of stories’.
If driving growth at scale and at pace is a priority for you, I offer three insights from my experience with organisations across the many aspects of change that might give you pause and change the way you are telling your ‘story’. As with all great stories it comes in the form of a Dragon, a Knight and a Happily Ever After!
1.The Dragon. What’s the problem you are trying to solve? Given the pace of change these days and flatter more matrixed organisations, no one person or group has a monopoly on what the ‘right’ answer is. All good stories need a Dragon… preferably the scarier the better! So, rather than striving to get your various stakeholders to buy into your solution, how clear and consistent are you in articulating the problem statement you are trying to get them to fall in love with?
2. The Knight. Why you? Given the problem you are trying to solve as an organisation, why are you the knight in shining armour? What is it that you offer as a business that leaves you uniquely placed to ‘come to the rescue?’
3. The Happily Ever After. Once you have slayed the dragon, how clear and consistent are you and your team at painting a picture of the ‘happily ever after’? What will success look like? How able are you to talk about it in a consistent way that captures the imagination and motivates action?
My client continues to spend considerable time and energy on the ability of it’s leaders at all levels to tell it’s story; something that is all too often forgotten in the race to get stuff done, integrate new acquisitions and keep one step ahead of the competition. All the indicators are that this, in an increasingly competitive and regulated market, continues to accelerate their business through its next phase of growth.
In our digital age, the amount of information packed into just 60 seconds is extraordinary (2019 Internet Minute) and sometimes, let’s be honest, a bit bewildering! I’m curious then if sustained commercial success will increasingly be defined by the ability of individuals, teams and companies to tell compelling stories that cut through the noise, capture our imaginations and inspire courageous action.
Thoughts?
