Once Upon A Time, and Storytelling as a Key to Change

Table of Contents

• Hello, and Welcome Back!

• The Power of Narratives

  • Storytelling in Leadership

  • When should I tell a story?

• 1% Solutions

• What I’m Reading and Listening to

Hello, and Welcome Back!

The last few days have been quite eventful. NYC had an earthquake, resulting in little damage and FIRE memes and tweets. We can always count on New Yorkers to use humor and sarcasm as both a coping mechanism and social adhesive.

Yesterday’s solar eclipse has captivated both science and astrology fans. I did not plan ahead to get eclipse glasses unfortunately, so I’ve settled for the astrology. I generally find astrology fascinating to reflect on- and I always appreciate a good reflection prompt. The solar eclipse is supposed to signify new beginnings and breaking away from limiting beliefs, which has made me think a lot about the things that bring me joy. I’ve missed facilitating trainings and discussions and have been finding opportunities to do so. I think it’s the teacher in me, and I often find stories to be powerful in helping to normalize leadership challenges, make it safe for participants to open up and for them to see the applicability of whatever we are discussed. Which brings me to our topic today….

The Power of Narratives

People understand and learn in stories. As a former history teacher, I’ve experienced this first hand. In a 2019 Nautilus article, Dr. Robert A. Burton writes “Once we see stories are the narrative equivalent of correlations, it is easy to understand why our brains seek out stories whenever and wherever possible.” Not only is this done for survival on some level but as a result of the brain receiving so much information. We have to tell stories to make sense of the information we are gathering.

Narrative is also a vehicle to build empathy. I think we intuitively know this. Reading books or human interest stories or watching TV and movies builds empathy for the characters or people featured. You may have read of things like the Will and Grace effect- or that stories in TV or radio can help to break down stereotypes and help to humanize people that viewers may not come into regular contact with. But there is science that actually backs up the empathy. In a 2020 NPR article, the author cites a study that shows that as a story unfolds, your brain waves actually begin to synchronize with those of the teller. Further, hearing stories engages the parts of our brain responsible for complex information processing, helps us to see issues from different perspectives and may shift core beliefs.

So what does this mean for leadership?

Storytelling in Leadership

So often I hear leaders say that staff doesn’t get it. Hey, even I’ve wondered about this during my times as a leader. And we’re not wrong. But it’s also not their fault. Sometimes there is a perspective we have because of the information we are privy to that they aren’t, so it’s our job as leaders to tell the story behind policy shifts, strategy, etc. (There’s also a limit to our perspective, but more on that later…)

People want to feel like what they are doing has purpose. As this 2017 HBR article points out, connecting the dots via stories to show staff how their work impacts others in concrete ways is a way to do so- which, by the way, increases engagement and fulfillment. And having an internalized sense of purpose can also help clarify to teammates how and where to take initiative.

I’ve been working with one leader who is simply masterful at this. She has had to lead her org through more than a few changes, all necessary but like any change, challenging to navigate. What makes her so strong? First, she’s built strong relationships and proven herself to be someone who centers the mission and cares about others. But also she tells the story of what led her to make a shift, how that shift is rooted in who the organization is and wants to be, and is clear in the values she is prioritizing and balancing. She also balances setting a clear next step but also creates space for people to create their own paths in service of that direction. Finally, she creates space afterwards to listen, because other people’s stories and experiences are also important in determining the shape of the change.

Where to start? Some guiding questions I’ve used to help me to tell the right story.

1. What’s the problem you are trying to solve? How did you know it was a problem?

2. Who are you trying to help? How does the problem impact them?

3. What values are your prioritizing and/or balancing in your decision making?

4. How does your proposed solution address 1 and 2?

5. What are the next steps the organization will be taken and when will there be an update?

6. How do you plan to monitor progress?

When should I tell a story?

Storytelling is consistently needed- the real question is how much to tell and at what cadence. As a starting point, I’d assess whether the answers to the questions above exist in three key areas, with a few additional questions to address:

• Standard Operating Procedures- why do we follow this SOP? How does this procedure support the mission or key objectives? Is there space for autonomy and if so what are the guidelines?

• When rolling out a new initiative/strategy- why this initiative at this moment? What problem is this trying to solve and how does it support the mission and strategy? What role do different people play?

• When rolling out a new policy- Why wasn’t the old policy working anymore? What is better about this policy for all stakeholders? How does this policy support the mission, values and strategy of the org?

Also? Remember our story isn’t the only one. How many books or movies have been retold by someone else’s perspective, to show us a different interpretation of what we’ve thought was true (btws I loved the Red Tent and Circe for this reason). Good leaders take the time to hear other stories- usually before they share theirs- to ensure both the direction and the narrative are as complete as possible (see listening tour below)

(Also if you are looking for ways to tell the stories behind data, I strongly suggest the Heath Brothers’ Making Numbers Count).

1% Solutions

Below are tips and suggestions that are simple yet effective and can be implemented with little prep. Small steps taken consistently can sometimes have a more significant impact- specifically when we have limited time, resources or capacity.

• Have new leaders conduct a listening tour- One of the first steps any new leader should take (even if they have been in the organization prior) is to get to know their team. For guidance on how to conduct a listening tour, read more here.

• Review your onboarding- Onboarding has always been critical- employees who have positive experiences in their first 90 days are 10 ties more likely to stay. further a year long onboarding program can help staff become proficient 34 times faster. With rising numbers of employees willing to leave a job earlier than a year if the role or support given wasn’t as advertised, improving your onboarding is one of the best investments you can make. Some questions to ask yourself:

  • Are key standard operating procedures documented? Do these list their purpose and the key stakeholders to involve?

  • What are your team’s comm norms?

  • How is feedback generally given and received?

  • Where should someone go with questions?

  • When should someone go to their manager versus a department directly (e.g. HR, IT) versus a teammate?

  • What do ALL these acronyms mean?

• Evaluation audit- You are now approximately 3 months out from the evaluation you gave in January (it may have been an annual or a midyear). The question is, have you circled back to the feedback given or goals set? It can be easy to mistake ongoing conversations or feedback with a true feedback that measures growth. Taking 15-20 minutes to do this can go a long way in ensuring there is quality feedback. For more, you can check out my recent LI article for a more detailed audit.

What I’m Reading and Listening to

• 5 Ways to Boost Employer Brand- Employer brand creates demand for roles in your organization BEFORE those roles are posted. I know many nonprofits and schools ultimately focus more attention on funder and client engagement and communication but I’d think about how to also communicate to talent when focused on web, newsletter and social media messaging.

• How Leadership is Defined Differently than Women- This 14 minute podcast discusses how self-reliance is defined differently for men and women. We often define self-reliance as not asking for help or going it alone- but for many women, they demonstrate their self-reliance through the use of community (there are other great episodes on this Wharton podcast).

• Making asynchronous work more effective- there is so much conversation about the merits of work from home versus returning to the office, without a lot of tactical advice on making asynchronous work more effective. I found this article to be helpful for those that want to provide work from home flexibility but are worried about losing connection and productivity.

  Interested in working together? Feel free to simply reply to this email or schedule a 20 minute free discovery call.