More with Lori Silverman
Posted at 4:01 AM on Wednesday, October 18, 2006
To access the beginning of this interview with Lori Silverman, author of the new best selling book Wake Me Up When the Data is Over. Kevin: What are the most valuable uses of stories?Lori: I don't know if I can say which uses are most valuable. My book demonstrates tangible business results from story use in customer service (and sales), financial management, team building, building human capital, financial management, leadership development, project management, organizational change, difficult issues, strategy, core values and company history, marketing and marketing research, and branding. We don't have enough examples to leap to a conclusion. Its uses in the workplace are limited only by our imaginations. Here's where organizational culture also plays a huge role. Those enterprises that are open, collaborative, accepting of differences and failures, and trusting of their employees have a greater chance of achieving results through stories.
What I do know is that there are five practices around story use within organizations: how to find existing stories, dig into them to uncover hidden patterns and themes, select those stories that need to be reinforced, craft memorable stories, and embody stories to positively impact people's attitudes, thoughts and behaviors.
Finding stories is about listening in an appreciative manner to the stories people share regularly in the workplace, including those that lurk in the shadows of the organization. It also includes evoking stories by using phrase such as "tell me about . . . "
Digging into stories means going below the surface conversation. You can do this with a single story or across groups of them to uncover needs, expectations, fears, problems, assumptions, mental models and more. Let's be honest - this information rarely, if ever, comes through in a survey.
Every organization unconsciously reinforces certain stories through its brand, how it treats its customers and employees, and what's shared or not discussed in meetings, annual reports, and press releases. Selecting stories is about becoming more conscious and purposeful in the stories that continue to live within and outside the organization.
Crafting memorable stories recognizes that there's a science to story structure. Simply speaking, stories have a story arc: a beginning that sets the stage and introduces characters, a middle - that presents the conflict, problem, issue or dilemma, and a resolution that speaks to how the story ends. There's also a moral to the story, often universal in nature - what I call its "key point." To make change happen, include a call to action at the end.
I think the fifth area - embodiment of story - is where the real power of story lies. Telling a story or putting it in print or on video is an embodiment of it. So is painting a picture about the situation. Or creating a skit around a metaphor such as the Wizard of Oz that speaks to the challenges a group is facing. And finding an icon that depicts a story or multiple stories - a turkey at Thanksgiving time, a quilt made out of clothing a child once wore.
We're only beginning to learn about the myriad ways a story can be embodied because, for years, people only talked about storytelling as being what one does with stories.
What fascinates me is that no one organization we talked to appears to engage in all five of these practices. I think many organizations and story practitioners only see story as a tool or technique. I don't. I see it as a strategy - a way to more effectively compete in an already overcrowded marketplace. Those organizations that embrace it as a strategy will leap ahead because of the results stories invoke.
Kevin: How can we better use stories to become even more effective as a leader?Lori: First, listen appreciatively to stories from your employees. This means not interrupting them, making judgments and evaluations of the content, and giving them your undivided attention. Why should people want to hear your stories if you won't sincerely acknowledge theirs? And, find appropriate times to evoke them in conversation. You'll receive richer information that also provides you with the context of the situation. Plus, you may receive a story that's just begun, whose ending can still be shaped.
Second, begin to include them in your communications - in one-on-one and group settings, in your correspondence, in voice mails. Learn about how to structure stories and tell them in effective ways. While those that are spontaneously "told" can be very effective, those that you reflect on and practice may get you even better results.
Third, finds ways to employ them in your daily work processes. For example, ask for stories in interviews. Use them in new hire orientation to communicate core values and the history of the organization. Incorporate them into coaching sessions and performance reviews. Make them a part of a business case for a new project or major expenditure. On the flip side, encourage employees to use them in their work processes. Actively help them look for applications. Kevin: How do stories relate to organization culture?Lori: Stories exist everywhere in organizations. There are those that are surfaced and reinforced on a regular basis, those that are whispered in the hallways, and those that are regularly silenced. Collectively, these stories speak to an organization's culture. Each of them has a set of assumptions, values and beliefs and artifacts (what you can touch and feel: policies, procedures, structures, systems and so on) attached to them that may or may not be consistent. The stories on the surface speak to the dominant story narrative in the organization - what's considered to be right and wrong. Those that are whispered or silenced tend to reflect the hidden counter-narrative. They may raise new truths or possibilities of what can be that are either in the formation stages or aren't acceptable within the current culture.
For example, for years, fast food companies didn't acknowledge the need for their products to be healthy. They just had to taste good and sell. Slowly, questions began to be raised about their nutritional value, with some companies shifting to a new health-impact story quicker than others.
There are also stories that are absent or missing - that don't exist within the organization. For example, perhaps there are no stories around employees with disabilities or cultural diversity. Identifying these stories can also help explain the culture that exists. Figuring out ways to bring them in can aid in shifting the culture in a strategic manner. We'll conclude this interview tomorrow. In the meantime, order your copy of the great book and you can collect these amazing bonuses!
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