stories. The most iconic example is Martin Luther King Jr.s’ (1963) vision of an Alabama where “little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” The concrete details of such a story convince your brain the event has happened, making it attainable. Disarm Skeptics The more concrete your vision, as King’s was, the easier the audience can intuit their role in achieving it. Of course, there will always be skeptics who hold off, but storytelling can dispatch them as well with their neurological effects on audiences. The originator of “Death by Powerpoint” David J.P. Phillips (2017) says stories flood audiences’ bodies with hormones like dopamines– which sharpen focus– and oxytocin, which cultivates generosity, trust, and empathy. Research from Princeton shows that while their bodies are being flooded with these hormones, the audience’s brainwaves also synchronize with the storyteller’s brainwaves, enhancing bonding and relatability (Renken, 2020), moving them from objection to acceptance. Change Culture Storytelling yields acceptance of even complicated culture changes, or– as claimed in The Secret to Culture Change– creates the change itself when leaders act out stories that stakeholders later share. In 1998, Arbor Technology, faltering, invoked layoffs. Executives
planned the downsizing meeting at an opulent San Francisco hotel, but it was too late to cancel. When the team arrived in the plush, cedar-paneled room, they were shocked by what was on the menu: bread and water. As the Maître d’ presented the rolls and goblets, the new CEO declared he couldn’t bear the indulgent meal originally planned while stakeholders were losing jobs. He booked that same room for the next year and promised to supply a king’s feast if they earned it. Like yeast, word spread about the bread-and-water meal (Barney, et. al. 2023). Stakeholders believed– through that act of “story building” (Barney, et. al, 2023)-- that this CEO was different and the culture would be different, so they gave him a chance. Arbor flourished. Las Vegas is rich with stories. Many stories stay in Vegas, but the insight that won’t is this: Your direct reports are dazed tourists, bewildered by the attention economy’s stimuli. They don’t know where to look or focus. By communicating with more zoomed-in, focused stories, you can convey purpose and vision, disarm skeptics, and lead culture change. Telling stories also connects you and your stakeholders as fellow human beings, and it integrates the human experience and its complexities into daily business.
References • Barney, J., Amorim, M., & Julio, C (2023). The Secret of Culture Change: How to Build Authentic Stories that Transform Your Organization. Berrett-Kohler. • King, M. L. Jr. (1963). I Have a Dream. In National Archives (Ed.) https://www.archives.gov/files/social-media/transcripts/transcript-march-pt3-of-3-2602934.pdf • Ladd, B. (2022, August). Why and how every company should use Amazon’s six-page memo Format Forbes . https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2022/08/30/why-and-how-every-company- should-use-amazons-six-page-memo-format/?sh=145160ab311e • Peek, S. (2023, Feb.). The management theory of Mary Parker Follett. Business.com. https://www.business.com/articles/management-theory-of-mary-parker-follett/ • Renken, E. (2020, April). How stories connect and persuade us: Unleashing the brain power of narrative. NPR . https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/11/815573198 /how-stories-connect-and-persuade-us- unleashing-the-brain-power-of-narrative • Sinek, S. (2009, September). How Great Leaders Inspire Actio n. TED Conferences. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en • Ulukaya, H. (2019, April). The Anti-CEO Playbook . TED Conferences.
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