Telling the Story

How to master the art of narrative leadership Telling the Story shows how leaders affect our understanding of what is possible and desirable through the stories they tell. It opens a door into the world of narrative leadership: what stories are and how they work; when to tell a story and how to tell one well; and how the language and metaphors we use influence our actions and change how we think about the world. • Explains how narrative leadership shapes and defines what’s possible on an organizational level • Written by a renowned consultant on the art of narrative leadership • Challenges leaders to consider how narrative can influence and help create the kind of society they envision

Acknowledgments xiii Foreword xv Introduction: Turning the Page 1 Narrative Leadership 2 Once Upon a Time 4 Why We Need New Stories 5 About This Book 8 Water on the Rock 10 SECTION ONE: FOUNDATIONS 13 Chapter 1: Why Stories Matter 15 Swimming in a Sea of Stories 15 Imagining Ourselves 18 Imagining Each Other 19 Imagining the World 21 Changing the Story 26 Bonus: Life of Pi 27 Summary 28 Chapter 2: Rethinking Leadership 31 Making Common Sense 33 Case Study: The Force Review 38 Conclusions 40 Bonus: Erin Brockovich 42 Summary 43 SECTION TWO: ON STORIES 45 Chapter 3: Stories in Our Bones 47 Logos: The Science of Storytelling 49 Mythos: The Story of Storytelling 53 Bonus: Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner 60 Summary 61 Chapter 4: The World of Stories 63 Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy 63 Finding the Plot 71 Bonus: Big Fish 74 Summary 74 Chapter 5: How Stories Work 77 Information, Argument, and Story 82 Bonus: An Inconvenient Truth 87 Summary 89 SECTION THREE: NARRATIVE LEADERSHIP 91 Chapter 6: The Art of Narrative Leadership 93 Vinoba Bhave 98 Developing Our Capacity to Lead 105 Bonus: Alchemy in Action 109 Summary 110 Chapter 7: Know Thyself 113 The Storied Self 114 Being and Doing 117 Bonus: Groundhog Day 127 Summary 128 Chapter 8: Only Connect 131 Creating Communicative Spaces 132 Listening to the Story 138 Conversation Matters 139 Whose Stories Count? 141 Bonus: Local Hero 144 Summary 145 Chapter 9: Stand for Something 147 Leading Minds 148 What Is Your Story? 152 Bonus: The Man from Hope 161 Summary 162 SECTION FOUR: STORYTELLING 165 Chapter 10: So You Want To Tell a Story 167 What Kinds of Story Work Best? 176 Where Do I Find Stories to Tell? 179 Bonus: Made in Dagenham 181 Summary 181 Chapter 11: A Good Story Well Told 183 Castles in the Air 195 Bonus: The Simple Shapes of Stories 197 Summary 197 Chapter 12: On Your Feet 199 Story Coaching 200 Introducing Stories 205 Holding their Attention 206 Making Sure You Can Be Heard 210 Finding the Right Language 212 Bonus: The King’s Speech 214 Summary 214 SECTION FIVE: TIME AND CHANGE 217 Chapter 13: Time and Narrative 219 Learning from the Past: The Told Story 222 Standing in the Present: The Unfolding Story 232 Shaping the Future: The Imagined Story 236 Bonus: The Insider 241 Summary 242 Chapter 14: Storytelling for a Change 245 Don’t Think of an Elephant 246 Empires of the Mind 251 Bonus: The Foresters 261 Summary 262 Chapter 15: Life in the Fast Lane 265 Modern, Post-modern, and Hypermodern 266 The Medium and the Message 270 Storytelling in a Global Village 272 Signs of the Times 275 Bonus: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room 282 Summary 283 SECTION SIX: BETWEEN STORIES 285 Chapter 16: Heart and Soul 287 Missing the Boat 289 Ambit and Ambition 292 Two Countries 296 Narrative Wreckage 299 Welcome to Wonderland 301 Bonus: Beasts of the Southern Wild 304 Summary 304 Appendix: Additional Resources 307 Index 311