Your Story Matters

Over the past couple of decades, I have encouraged leaders to share the stories behind their entrepreneurial journeys. Some have been reluctant, stating it made them sound self-absorbed. Others have been excited, hoping to inspire stronger engagement from their people. Those who have embraced the opportunity to share a bit about what they went through to create opportunities for others, to solve problems for customers, and to build something that could last beyond them, began to impact the hearts of their people, not just their minds.

In 2003, one particular client of mine expressed his frustration with how challenging it was to get his team to have the same passion as him. I had heard from a number of people that the founder would always be more excited than the team and there was nothing that could be done about it. I just didn’t want to accept that. It felt like an excuse to give up on the potential of people. So, I began looking into what inspires others to give more of who they are because they want to. What I kept coming up with was that people buy into the person before they buy into the product or service.

This led me to look into what it was about people that inspired others to believe in them. It was clear that this was not a pursuit of logical reasons to believe in someone. Instead, it came back to the person’s story. When I studied leaders who had the highest engagement, the most loyal managers and leaders under them, the most engaged cultures, the common theme was that their people believed in the story of that person. One of the great thinkers I ran across in my pursuit was a gentleman named Joseph Campbell. As a Literature Professor, Joseph wanted to know what drew people into a story and why people bought into a character. One of his quotes was…

“People say that what they are seeking is a meaningful life. I don’t really think that is what we are really seeking. I think what we are seeking is an experience of being alive so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our innermost being and reality so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

It was and still is my experience that people are seeking a positive emotional experience when it comes to working. This is strongly influenced by the person they work for and the people they work with. It isn’t that we are really even trying to avoid struggle. In fact, the struggle is what makes the victory worthwhile. In Campbell’s description, there are 12 main categories to a story. I have worked to simplify the process into 5 easy steps for creating your story. They are…

Normal Life — The founder of the business was going through life like everyone else.

The Shakeup — There was a problem that had to be solved or a threat that had to be faced. Or, something in life went sideways.

The Choice — This caused them to choose between settling or chasing something better. In The Matrix, this would be the “Red Pill — Blue Pill” scene. They knew their choice would either make things stay the same or change forever.

The Refinement — They struggled to learn and grow and face challenges, or slay dragons, or fend off enemies while developing drive, skills, determination, etc.

The Triumphant Return — They came back to this life with a new superpower, new knowledge, a gift for the world, etc.

If you are a leader in business, mastering the art and science of crafting a great story can be the difference maker between feeling stuck and feeling launched toward success. Take a little time and map out your journey to success. If you do, you might just inspire a little greatness in your team!