I love talking about failure in the context of business storytelling. It’s a tough one for executives because it’s counterintuitive. You never hear about a company hiring a PR agency “to get the bad word out.” Yet, the ability to bring failure or even a problem to the narrative is what separates industrial-grade storytelling from …more
A Look at the Publication Headlines from Countries Bounced from the Start of the World Cup Knock-out Round We already know the answer to the headline question. Virtually every great novel and movie depend on failure to bring tension to the story. And are there few things more painful than seeing your country fight its …more
Virtually every great story encompasses failure or at least a crisis. Apple flirted with bankruptcy. J.K. Rowling lived on welfare before Harry Potter came to the rescue. Everyone told Freddie Patek he was too short to play professional baseball (naturally a favorite). As Fortune Journalist Patricia Sellers noted in discussing storytelling in business, “If failure …more
