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Turning the Zakim Bridge Red
When I joined the American Heart Association in late 2005 as head of communications for Metro Boston, I told my new boss that I had
Tom keppeler
February 8, 2024
Think about your favorite storyteller. Maybe it’s that grandparent who read you bedtime stories as a child. Maybe it’s a teacher or professor who regaled you with tales of their younger days. Or maybe it was a mentor who propelled your career. Then, think about how much you trust them.
Narrative matters – and how we tell our stories can have a drastic impact on the business world around us. More importantly, telling stories engenders trust. It’s simple when you think about it: ask yourself the simple question “Do I want to know who I’m buying from?” The logical conclusion is this: visible executives who are willing to tell their stories engender more trust than those who remain invisible. And trust is a bottom-line-friendly factor: George Washington University Professor Lawrence A. Cunningham posits that trustworthy companies beat the S&P 500 by 30 – 50%. As the man responsible for publishing Warren Buffet’s thoughts on running corporations, he should know.
So, narrative matters – but how does that translate to your executive team? Here are five essential ways that getting your executives to share their, and your company’s, story can benefit your brand.
Working in corporate America for over a decade in senior communications roles, I heard the plea often: get some press for our new widget. But, as a former journalist, I knew that the media were hungriest for stories about people. Who does it benefit? Who invented it, and how? Who are the people who brought it to market, and why now? Products have stories, and those stories are essential to land those coveted media hits. Consider the difference between these two headlines:
The 6 Best Vacuum Cleaners with Good Suction
James Dyson on 5,126 Vacuums That Didn’t Work— and the One That Finally Did
If I’m spending $300 on a vacuum, I, for one, would rather read the latter. But without that executive being willing to tell his own personal story (with a bit of vulnerability mixed in), that story never would have happened.
No brand can stand on just its products on social. It’s social media, after all – users want to see faces, hear stories, be moved to laugh or delight or take action. Not showing the amazing people who make your company tick is a common mistake. Edelman’s Trust Barometer consistently says more than half of consumers believe that employees are the most credible sources for learning about companies – and this isn’t just rank-and-file employees. Executives, when visible and not just a faceless name on the annual report, can truly impact trust in a brand.
Imagine your phone rings out of the blue with an unrecognized number (shocking, I know). The voice on the other end of the line asks you if you’d like to buy an umbrella. Confused and offended, you instruct them to remove your number from their database and hang up.
But, now imagine a very different scenario: you sit beside someone on a plane ride, and they begin to share their story of a new company they’re starting. They moved to Boston about five years ago, and were dismayed that every time there was rain, wind came along for the ride. It had torn so many umbrellas apart. They set to making a better umbrella, and, working with some folks at MIT, had developed a commercial prototype that they were very excited about. Wouldn’t you be more inclined to buy one? And perhaps even tell others the story of this incredible inventor you sat beside? The difference is this: storytelling matters in a sales environment, and it can have a direct impact on sales.
The modern workplace has been forever changed by the pandemic. Many of us are digital nomads now, untethered from a physical workspace and less inclined to engage in watercooler talk. But even well before the coronavirus, the magic of narrative resonated. In his 2017 Harvard Business Review article, Joseph Grenny, the author of Crucial Conversations, talked about a key component of his company’s monthly all-hands meeting: the Mission Moment. In this important moment, employees were encouraged to share stories about the impact their work has made on their own lives or that of their customers. And he went on to share that, even on tough days, those Mission Moment stories made a difference for him.
I’ve seen it myself. Whether it was from the mouth of a Fortune 500 CEO, the president of a world-class university, or the head of Client Services for a private software company, hearing how the company I worked for changed lives endeared me to the brand and gave me a sense of belonging. It made me work harder, care more, and dig deeper, and I know I’m not alone. In a summer 2022 study, McKinsey noted that “meaningfulness of work” is the highest factor affecting both retention and attrition. What better way to talk about the meaningfulness than with these Mission Moments, which help connect employees not just to what they do, but why also why they do it? In the era of The Great Resignation, storytelling is essential.
Simply put, the best brands in the world have embraced storytelling. They have put executives and rank-and-file employees front and center, showed them how to tell their stories, and unleashed them on the world. Think of brands you admire, then consider how they’ve used storytelling to endear you to them. To be admired just as they are, you have to start with the narrative. Tell your story. Connect with others. And become admired just as the ones you think of.
Obsidian Coaching is booking now for corporate storytelling workshops, media and speaker trainings, and one-on-one coaching sessions for executives for Fall 2022. For more information, visit www.obsidiancoaching.com or email [email protected].
When I joined the American Heart Association in late 2005 as head of communications for Metro Boston, I told my new boss that I had
My last intercontinental business trip was to South America in January and February of 2020. I remember the ritual of it all, including the two