As a storyteller, I often combine sad stories with one another. Mostly with a positive outcome, but often I use stories without a happy ending. Stories where listeners really have to think about what they just learned. Stories where there is no gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s amazing when such stories evoke …more
I can’t pinpoint exactly when I met Raf Stevens. He’s part of what I refer to as the “storytelling posse” on Twitter, those evangelizing business storytelling 140 characters at a time. Not one to limit his narratives, Raf recently published his second book “Leadership, Storytelling and the Power of Connection” which explores the role of …more
Many have correlated storytelling expertise with leadership. Even McKinsey, home to “let the data guide your decision making,” has articulated this point. Which brings me to the pure definition of leadership, Nelson Mandela While the front-page stories on Nelson Mandela’s death have recounted his life’s journey, I thought it would be interesting to dust off …more
If bands can do it, why not a blog? Only, I’ve defined a “greatest hit” as having “hit” the publish button in 2011 or later. With the housekeeping out of the way for these business storytelling oldies, here are seven that fit the description: My Aha Moment in Storytelling Being raised in the command-and-control era …more
Do you remember the controversy when the book “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman came out?” The idea that variables other than pure intellectual horsepower could have the same or even more impact on one’s success triggered quite a dialogue. So when Goleman recently penned a post on the relationship of storytelling to leadership, I paid …more
The “what’s ahead for the blog in 2012” post mentioned plans to create the “Grab Bag,” a collection of tidbits that couldn’t rightfully stand alone. Here’s the first one – Leadership and Storytelling Prior to the 49er/Giants NFC championship game, Monte Poole from the Bay Area News Group wrote a column about the leadership of …more
