I
would be delighted to discuss with you how a story-driven consultation
could assist your organization to make your current activities more
effective and/or empower innovation and transformation in your enterprise.
There are many stories about how this approach has benefited other teams,
organizations and projects; some of those stories may help you begin
to envision your own.
Paul
Belserene
+1
604.925.8967
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PERMISSION
TO DREAM
The objectives are nothing new. clarity, motivation, commitment, effective
teamwork, innovation, strategic achievement and the accomplishment of
meaningful goals. Every organization works towards these objectives and
many organizations struggle to do so, especially in times of change.
Until
recently most of us didn’t naturally think of storytelling as an
essential tool for our organization and that is probably because the word
comes from outside of our corporate training. It’s something we’ve
known about for longer than we’ve been working. Story is in our
childhood, in our culture, in our identity and in our spirit. And perhaps
it is exactly the “bigness” of this tool that makes it both
hard to see but so amazingly potent when put to use.
A story touches us where we live, not just where we work. And of course
everyone involved in your enterprise whether executives and employees,
or customers and colleagues, is a living human being above all. This is
the big “aha” of storytelling: it taps into bigger, richer
and more powerful sources of energy than any other strategic approach.
Story doesn’t do anything by itself, but it empowers everything.
What makes story powerful is that it is rooted both in physical reality
and human creativity. What makes it strategic is that it illuminates real
situations and inspires real people. What makes it transformative is that,
through the power of story, something that might not otherwise have been
possible comes into being.
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PERMISSION
TO BELIEVE
Story
connects the heart and the head. It seeks, and roots itself in, what is
most fundamental and meaningful about your enterprise – your higher
purpose. Because this human purpose is larger than your organization itself,
story not only allows you to marshal the internal forces you need to accomplish
your mission, it also provides a clear and accessible way to help others,
outside of your organization, identify themselves with your vision. This
is the essence of marketing and the key to differentiation.
Story serves as a guiding hand in the ongoing development of a project.
It is not a plan, which may be torn up or modified as conditions change.
The story engages the emotions, imagination, aspirations and intellect
of each project team member. It is something that each member can own
and articulate in their own words. A plan that does not reflect both changing
reality and the vision/motivation of the team will quickly get one lost.
Your
story won’t tell you what you’re going to build; it will remind
you why you’re building in the first place, it will help keep everyone
“on the same page,” and it will help you all keep the goal
in mind as you go. |
PERMISSION
TO CHANGE
Story
doesn’t replace vision, it articulates vision in deep and compelling
ways. Story doesn’t replace strategic planning, it brings meaning
and purpose to strategy. And story doesn’t replace implementation,
it encourages, and give courage to, the agents of change.
Storytelling is especially important in projects that require a large
number of people to work together over an extended period to bring something
to fruition. Here story works as a compass. It is also important for organizations
offering a product or service to a broader constituency. Here it serves
as a bridge, facilitating a two-way exchange of information and energy.
Because story is such a deep and universal part of our psyche it is quite
possible that ad hoc stories and storytelling are already emerging to
fill gaps in your operations. It’s possible they are conflicting,
not entirely truthful, or uncoordinated. They could even be part of the
problem, rather than part of the solution. Some organizations are shocked
to discover that the stories they think they’re telling are not
what their audiences are hearing. An open and creative storytelling consultation
can help your organization align itself, find unique and compelling language
to carry your purpose forward, and energize the detailed work required
to reach your goals.
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