it has emotional connection, and it also has a larger purpose.
Storytelling is the difference between solving a problem and creating a cause.
Right, list solve a problem.
Here's an issue we face, let's create a pro and con list about how to solve it.
Pick the best option from there.
A cause is something that ignites people and unites people.
And I think that's what a good story does, is it creates a cause.
There is a few things you have to do as a manager to create a really good story.
The first and foremost thing you have to do, is you have to know your audience.
A good story is designed for the audience.
It may not connect to you, it may not always make sense to you,
it's not using word that you might be familiar with.
But it's things your audience understands and your audience knows.
So I think that's rule one.
Is who is your audience, where do they come from, and what do they need?
I think the second part of a good story is a clear sequence of events.
You listen to a great storyteller, there is a very clear sequence of events
that moves the story from the beginning to an end.
And I think last but not least, is having moments of reflection, or
questions that remain unanswered that build suspense.
That building intrigue and
then have someone sitting on the edge of their seat to have you answer them.
The great storyteller asks and answers questions along the way.
They build suspense and they reduce that suspense by answering the questions.
Storytellers that aren't so good leave those questions hanging in the air and
so people walk out confused, unsure,
uncertain about the direction to take from there.
If you have a compelling story, something that is of interest, something that
is powerful, people are going to listen no matter what the medium is.
And what we get trapped by is the expectation that the audience doesn't
want to be compelled.
They want hard fact and they want recommendations.
The space in between that and how you get to those things,
that's where storytelling can be compelling.
Locate the most powerful part of your message and lean on it.
Is it one piece of data?
Is it a single profile?
Is it a single conversation?
And last but not least, is make sure that you create moments of reflection,
there's big, powerful questions sitting in front of this leader to think about.
There's a variety of stories that a leader can tell in an organization.
And when we talk about design thinking, we talk about what type of story is most
appropriate when you're trying to drive transformation?
In this story, the figure of this story, the main character, is the big,
wicked problem facing the organization.
And so some things that you need to do typical in that type of story,
is first you have to sell the challenge.
You have to help the audience understand how the current state
is more dangerous than any other possibility out there.
You have to get them in the frame of mind that they want to take this on and
make this challenge a cause that they can invest in.
And that's fundamentally the first thing they have to do.
Then you have to be able to talk very intelligently about the fellowship,
or what I would call kind of the people that are involved in the challenge.
Whether that be the customers you're observing, the stakeholders in there,
make sure that they have a good understanding of all the people involved.
Last but not least,
you have to give them the chance to talk about the tensions that exist, right?
This challenge creates tensions for us.
In our business today we have a big challenge around doing the right thing,
around sustainability.
If you can present those tensions, you create a place where people want to get
involved because they want to have that debate and that conversation.
And last but not least, you have to present,
on the very end, the possibilities that there is a way to get this solved.
That there is a path that we can head to make movement in that regard.
And so I think that story, when you put the challenge as the figure,
it comes down to just really making sure they understand how big it is,
what the tensions are that exist, and what you can do.
I think the question of why is storytelling important to leadership,
in tomorrow's world, I think that's a fundamental question of what makes
storytelling a compelling tool to learn about, to find about, and to understand.
As I look towards the world we live in,
there's three basic challenges that leaders face.
One is that they only have about 20% of the people that they lead,
only about 20% of their attention.
And so storytelling allows you to get them to pay attention through for just a little
bit longer, for a little bit more time, with a little bit more diligent energy.
I think that's important.
If you can raise the level of engagement in your business, you will do wonders
to your performance, and storytelling allows you to create energy and
passion and excitement around something.
So I think that's one reason why leaders need to start using storytelling
in different ways.
Secondly is storytelling allows you to make strategy accessible.
Strategy is accessible only for about three groups of people, right?
The leaders that write it, the consultants that help them do it, and
the professors that create case studies around it.
For everyone else, strategy is this difficult thing that causes complexity and
uncertainty in our lives.
And I think what storytelling does for
leaders in terms of strategy, is it makes it simple.
Jeanne M. LiedtkaUnited Technologies Corporation Professor of Business Administration
