The Orange Chair Online

Peter Gruber on sharing stories to engage and communicate effectively

Here’s a great interview on storytelling with one of the masters, Peter Gruber, chairman of the Mandalay Entertainment Group.

 

Gruber maintains that we are all wired to tell stories.

 

Language is an organizing principle for human cultures and allows us to communicate values. We are not wired to remember information; only when it is embedded in story does it become memorable and actionable.

 

According to Gruber every great leaders is a storyteller, and it’s the stories leaders tell that move our hearts and excite people to action. Story makes people apostles and moves them to tell others. He reminds us that when if we tell people to move to the door – they don’t, but if we yell ‘fire’ - which is in essence a story – they run for the door.

 

Gruber talks about control and the viral nature of story, suggesting that control is in fact illusionary. He suggests that through story we provide the navigational stakes and the emotional connection and let others take and retell our stories.

 

Here is the link.

Facilitate ldeader communications for engaged employees

Imagine every manager in your organization fully understanding the communication role they play within the organization? And now imagine those managers with all the necessary tools and process at hand to be highly effective communicators?

My friend and client, Susan, who heads up internal communication for a financial institution, is doing just that and creating communication leaders within her company.

Susan has documented all the communication processes from the point of view of the manager. In addition she has developed a series of simple tools to help leaders take control of those processes in their areas. She is sharing this material in management meetings throughout the organization, and empowering managers to take control of the communication process.

Twenty years ago communicators produced the goods. Today we facilitate the discussion and it’s an exciting place to be.

Search-optimization: Engaging clients through your web stories

National Post journalist, Brianna Goldberg, writes amusingly about her competition to gain ascendance over her “googlegänger” – the other Brianna Goldberg - a pagan who worships the Invisible Pink Unicorn, and who consistently rated above her in Google searches.

There’s a secret need in all of us to be number one. As children we’re pretty straightforward about demanding attention. At school the popular kids have everyone talking about them – they get their stories out there. As we grow older our tactics become more subtle – but the aim is still to get people thinking and talking about us.

Brianna Goldberg #1 (our journalist) had some stiff competition from Brianna Goldberg # 2 (unicorn worshiper) – who had a story line to knock your socks off. Brianna # 1’s strategy involved a significant amount of social networking, including an article about her in Wikipedia. In other words she got people talking about Brianna the journalist. Brianna # 1 triumphed – first among Brianna Goldberg’s in Google-world.

If you are a business – being number one has very serious implications. Search-engine optimization is an expanding niche in online marketing.

Search-engine optimization is important, but it can only work if you have a genuine story to tell that connects with your audience. Brianna # 1 worked hard to tell her story. She told the story of Brianna the writer and musician. A story that allowed her to hook up with people interested in her world – as opposed to invisible pink unicorns.

Likewise if we are to engage prospective clients and customers, we must start with the real organizational story. The story of our pride and the journey our organization is on – and we must make it accessible. In other words find the emotional connection so people can relate to the organization. Most often this will be the stories of your customers, the stories of your staff – people stories that illustrate your service values.

With a real story to tell you are ready to connect with clients and customers and that’s where search-engine optimization can make a difference and get you noticed for what you are. I know some people say any publicity is good publicity, but I’d far prefer people come to me because of what I am, rather then what they think I might be – because that’s bound to lead to disappointment and recriminations.

Employee engagement and marketing - closely connected

There is quite a bit of buzz out there about a recent session entitled "Storyteller Marketing - How the Art of Storytelling Matches Up With the Business of Marketing". The session was moderated by Rebecca Lieb, Contributing Editor of ClickZ. Speakers included Gary Stein, Director of Strategy, Ammo Marketing , Sally Falkow, President, Expansion Plus Inc.  and Larry Lawfer, Founder/President, yourstorys.com: .

Charlene Jaszewski does a great job of summarizing what was said. Check out her blog.

In her blog Charlene cites Larry Fowler who defines engagement marketing as "when your DATE says you are a good date", as opposed ot PR "Your mom says you had a good date."

I'm not a marketer. I use stories to engage and align employees. But what could be more powerful for employees to fully understand the impact they make - then the stories of their customers. Employees are the people who live brand every day - if your organization wants employees to be a "great date" then connect them to the stories of the customers. 

Storytelling - an engaging corporate strategy for large and small

My friend Sherri, who works for a Credit Union in Eastern Canada, uses story. Every week Sherri sends out a much loved email/story that reinforces core behaviors the organization is seeking to develop. Sherri is a one person communication shop and her time is her budget.

Coca Cola, EDS and the Wynn Hotel group all use storytelling. These organizations have implemented corporate-wide initiatives that reach tens of thousands of people. They use story to engage and align employees to the corporate journey so that they understand, not only what the corporate goals and objectives are, but also their role in meeting those objectives. Like Sherri’s much smaller initiative these programs illustrate the kinds of behaviors that employees must adopt to live the organizational values. The programs these organizations have adopted are integrated into their very fabric. Wynn for example uses story in hiring, training, to reward and for marketing.

Sherri and the high paid execs at Wynn understand that story works. Where facts and figures might alienate or bore us, stories are real and memorable. In a world of information overload they are a quick means of illustrating the complex and immediately helping employees understand how they contribute and indeed what is expected of them.

Take this story from Wynn for example. It’s about an employee who helped an elderly guest recover important medication left in a cab. The employee painstakingly reviewed video footage of the guest’s arrival and identified the cab license plate in the rear view mirror of the car in front. For fellow employees stories like these are not only good for morale, but they also illustrate goals and objectives in action and how they translate into behaviors.

I’d like to hear about your employee stories in action and post them on this site.

Hiring with culture in mind: engaging potential employees with the true story

This morning my husband and I were coaching our teenage daughter on how to respond to behavioral interview questions. She is now on to her second interview for a position with a well known coffee retailer. At one point she asked my husband about his first job interview. He recounted the following exchange:

“Interviewer: Are you any good at tutoring math?

My much younger husband: Yes

Interviewer: Good, when can you start?”

How times have changed. We have friends who have had to go through grueling six-month, ten interview procedures – only to come in second. Hiring has gone from instinctual (I like you) to left brain gone-wild process. It’s no surprise we’ve headed in that direction – employees who are happy and engaged in the organization are significantly more productive. On the flip side the cost of hiring and training a new employee can range from 25% to 200% of annual compensation (American Management Association).

I do agree that the implications of poor hiring decisions are ugly, but I am wondering if part of the problem is that we are so focused on getting the “best candidate” that we forget about the other half of the equation – our organizations and ensuring we are sending out the right messages. Here’s a story to illustrate what I mean.

Some years ago I was involved in an organization looking for a senior HR consultant. They spent a year searching for the right person. When they finally hired she lasted three days. What she thought she was getting and the reality were entirely different. Sensibly she cut her losses and moved on when she discovered her values, and those of the hiring organization, were at odds.

Organizations need to be very clear, not only on what they believe they need, but also on what they have to offer. They need to look beyond the best candidate to the best fit. It’s rather like searching for the perfect mate – you have to be sure about who you are and where you are headed - before you can find your ideal partner. 

It’s the job of communicators to ensure that our corporate story is clear – and that it is an accurate picture – one that is lived every day within the organization. A snow job will get you bemused employees disappointed that they are not living in a winter wonderland. 

Waiting at airports

I don’t know about you but my regular life seems to be filled to the brim. So when I’m thrown a curved ball – which happens – it brings with it a healthy dose of perspective.

Right now I am sitting in an airport waiting for a delayed flight. I may not be able to deliver the workshop I am flying over for. I can choose to fret pointlessly or I can use my time productively. Not much of a choice!

So here I am writing this blog and doing one of my favorite things – people watching. It’s not often we get to observe our fellow travelers in life. Given the flight was scheduled to leave at 7 am there are a lot of suits and Blackberries.

Everyone is trying to reschedule meetings. The man seated next to me needs to deliver a sealed tender document. There’s a missed funeral and a divisional meeting that’s going to go ahead without its senior leader. Despite all this juggling people are remarkably calm.

It’s astonishing the different stories evolving in this cramped little room; everyone is on a journey – aside from the actual flight we are all trying to make. Hopefully soon we will all be joined in making a common journey. When that happens there will be a great sense of camaraderie and shared experience. Organizations too need to find ways to make sure all their employees are getting on to the same flight.

Clinton tells the story of her roots

Hilary Clinton is re-energizing support in Pennsylvania. In part, according to an article by Steve Denning, because she is starting to tell the story of her own roots. Her grandfather lived in Pennsylvania and worked in a lace mill. Her father grew up there too and played football for Penn State.

Our militaristic leadership model (and media portrayals) leads us to assume that the ideal leader must be aloof and invioable. A new theory of leadership is emerging, namely that leaders embody the principles of the people they lead. As such effective leaders work hard to understand the values and opinions of their followers—rather than assuming absolute authority—to enable a productive dialogue with followers about what the group embodies and stands for and thus how it should act.

Hilary Clinton shows her leadership skills by tapping into middle American values and "telling her story".

Business leaders can no longer afford to remain aloof - they need to make the connection with employees. Stories are a wonderful way to show humanity and connect in a meaningful way. But beware - everyone knows a faker - perhaps Hilary was wise to speak about her roots in Pennsylvania - home is always a good place for passion.

 

Employee Engagement: It's as easy as A B C ...

David Zinger, host of the Employee Engagement Network, a while back posted his A to Z of employee engagement and challenged others on the network to do the same - with the intent being to publish a collective eBook of the various responses....a great idea we thought so....

...Nicky, Jennifer and I took up the challenge - approaching it from the perspective of an employee...we would love to get your feedback on this.

Engage Me If You Can - It's as Easy as A,B,C...

ASK:  Ask me questions, ask me for ideas and ask me to participate - in doing so you will get my attention and be on your way to capturing my heart.

BEHAVE:  How you behave towards me and others we work and interact with conveys a great deal to me...treat me like an adult and someone who can assist, treat all those around me in the same way and we have a chance at moving ahead here.  Treat me as overhead, as a resource or as human capital (whatever that is) and I will drift off to another place.  Yelling and screaming...that won't work. Ignoring except when I mess up...that won't work either. 

COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE:  If you want me to be engaged help me understand what is going on around here and let me in on the context (another 'C') that led to or must shape our decisions.  That is called communicating with me.  And once we have that in order - well let's work together - you and I and the others on our team - to clarify the opportunities and and determine how we will succeed.  We call that collaborating.

DELIVER: Too often you make promises or indicate you will get back to us on something - please remember that by delivering on those promises you build credibility and trust  - and if we can rely on you, rest assured you can rely on us.

ENCOURAGE AND EMPOWER: It is actually a simply concept.  Let me know when I have done well and I smile a little more, I learn and I carry that perspective forward.  Let me know also that you trust me to get the job done in the way that makes the most sense to me and my smile will lead to a willingness to do more.  Encourage me and empower me - keys to my long term engagement.

FEEDBACK: Tell me how I am doing - not once or twice a year - but all the time.  Tell me when you like what I have done; tell me what didn't work and why.  Providing me feedback - both positive and constructive (but please don't yell!) on a regular basis will do so much to help me improve you will be surprised at what can be achieved.

GOALS:  Give me goals to work towards.  Better yet, let me in on developing goals that make sense for me, for us and for the company.

HELLO and HOW ARE YOU?: Stopping by every now and then to say hello and ask how I am doing, how my family is doing or to talk a little about nothing overly important (did you know I play golf?) - what could be simpler?  It shows you care.  More importantly it helps build the bond we need to enjoy our time at the office.

INTEGRITY: Earn it, keep it and reap the rewards.  I'll do the same and so will our team mates.  Just imagine!

JOURNEY: I am on a journey - and so too is the company - can we please find a way to link the two?  That will take a bit of work of course.  You will have to get to know me a little. Well, maybe a lot! Find out what you can about me and my own goals and ambitions, about my hopes and dreams and about where I hope my journey will lead me. About who I am...outside of work as well. I will return the favor by getting to know you and your hopes and dream and....  Ah yes, don't forget to share with me the journey the company is exploring.  Only then will getting engaged become a possibility.

KNOWLEDGE:  Share with us what you know.  Allow us to share with you what we know.  And ensure we share what we know with each other.  And help us apply that knowledge in a way that leads to success.

LISTEN: Listen. Listen actively.  Listen with your ears....your eyes...your mind. Let me know what you heard and check that what you heard is what I said or intended.  If you do that, you will be surprised at what you learn..

MEANING: My work has to have meaning.  I am here for much more than a pay cheque and to spend my day with others.  I want to contribute and in return I want to gain.  Work with me on building that meaning, on linking it together with our goals and you will really begin to capture me, my heart and my mind.

NOTICE: Take notice of what I do and how I do it.  Better yet - take notice of what all of us do - individually and collectively - and give us credit for our efforts and achievements.  Taking notice goes a long way.  Oh...don't forget that taking notice means that you actually share with me that you noticed.

OPPORTUNITY:  You know who I am and what matters to me.  Please consider opportunities for me to get involved in places I may not otherwise have the chance to get involved with.  Special assignments, leadership roles, cross organizational work, training, development and what have you - give me opportunities to deepen my capabilities and contributions.  I will succeed!

PASSION: Show me yours and I will show you mine.

QUESTIONS: Questions, questions and more questions.  Ask, consider, answer, probe, challenge.  They are indeed the gateway to deeper levels of awareness, understanding, knowledge and potential. 

RECOGNIZE, REWARD and RELATIONSHIPS:  If we can have the ABC's then we can redefine the 3 R's.  Recognizing what we do and rewarding us appropriately is key to engagement.  Building relationships with us on a personal and work basis is a darn good idea as well.  Forget the 3 R's at your own peril.

SMILE:  As the saying goes "a smile goes a long way!" Try one on for size - and see just how far.  You will be surprised.

TRUST:  Showing that you trust me - and giving me reason to trust you is maybe the most important of all the ABC's - without the rest just means so little.  Understand that trust is earned and earned over time.  Understand also that it is not all that hard to earn - but once lost, very hard to get back.

UNIFY OUR TEAM: Work with us as a team and let us work as a team (there is a difference Mr. Boss).  Allow us to share in building our vision, in setting our goals, in having some ownership.  Let us participate in the way that makes most sense - by allowing us to do what we can in the way we can.  Let us share our hopes and dreams and fears with each other - so we can then work together as one.

VICTORY:  Celebrating our wins - large, small and anywhere in between is important to us - it let's us know that our efforts have paid off, that some cares and that you have noticed.

WE: What is that old saying...many hands make light work!  We are here - let us in on what is happening and we can succeed together!

X-TRAORDINARY!: The results we can achieve will indeed be extraordinary...let's try!

YES...AND...not YES BUT: When you say "yes but" as you so often do you have the impact of shutting down our conversations and creativity.  And that's just not good.  How about trying "Yes...and..." for once.  You will be surprised and where that may lead and how it will make us feel!

ZENITH:  Follow the ABC of Employee Engagement and our full potential and commitment will be yours forever!

and that's it for now.......go forth and engage!

High Concept and High Touch....is Storytelling the way of the future?

I was just looking at Ron Shewchuks' latest posting High concept and high touch, where he explores the ideas presented by Thomas Friedam in The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century (Ron - you are right - this is a superb read!).  In his posting Ron captures a Daniel Pink (author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future) quote that Friedman referenced.  The quote (see Ron's piece for the entire text) that there is a need to supplement our high tech abilities with high concept and high touch so as to "...detect patterns and opportunities, to  craft a satisfying narrative, and to come up with inventions the world didn't know was missing" (the high concept side)  and "involves the capacity to empathize, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one's self and to elicit it in others, and to stretch beyond the quotidian in pursuit of purpose and meaning" (the high touch side).

As Ron summarizes correctly there is a direct relation to employee communications implicit in this argument.  He could not be any more right!  I have spoken on this idea for a number of years now and am amazed at how people respond to their workplace environment when 'concept' and 'touch' are the foundation. 

In a media interview last month I was asked about how we can overcome the apparent emphasis on technology in communicating with staff if indeed there was a need for more touch.  My response, offered without taking time to think about the implications was that it is for this very reason that storytelling has not only emerged as a powerful tool in knowledge management, communication and engagement, but will gain momentum and establish itself at the forefront of  those fields.