The Best Leaders Are Storytellers: How it Pays To Make it Personal
When I first entered "Corporate America," you could have hardly called me a golfer. I had taken a golf class during my final semester of college — I needed to fulfill my last physical education requirement. That was the full extent of my golfing experience.
It wasn't long before I realized how important golf is to success in business. In fact, over the years, I have come to think of the game as a metaphor for leadership.
Golf and leadership both demand ingenuity and resourcefulness to overcome their constantly-changing challenges. They both take integrity, commitment, skill and perseverance. There's also another, almost mandatory element to being a good golfer: storytelling.
Whether it takes the form of a drawn-out joke, a tall tale, shop talk or networking, most golfers love a good story. All the better if it's personal. On and off the course, it pays to tell personal stories. The cardinal reason: They make you memorable. They connect you and your message to the characters, ideas and situations you share.
Getting (and Keeping) Attention
Getting attention is important when communicating a message a few methods are as powerful as narrative. Part of that comes from your relationships. It's safe to assume anyone interested in you will also be interested in your personal stories. The form itself is also engaging, with its sequential progression of action. A well-paced plot is one of the most effective engagement tools in your leadership toolkit.
Establishing Credibility
There's no rule saying you can't show off a little. One of the best reasons to tell a story is to establish credibility before delivering another part of your message. Sharing a funny, personal story about notable friends and acquaintances might demonstrate the extent of your network. Talking about unusual events on business trips or unorthodox negotiations might show the breadth of your experience.
How To Share Your Story
There are no universal guidelines for telling a story, other than being authentic to yourself and appropriate for your audience. However, here are some techniques you might use to make your message more engaging:
Keep it short: Tell a short story in place of an introduction, transition or conclusion to frame a message, reignite interest or drive a main point.
Break it up: Use separated sections of a long story to build tension and add a human element.
Make it familiar: Use some characters, settings or subjects your audience recognizes.
Be humble: The best stories are usually about more than you or your team's achievements.
Try not to worry if your first attempts are not as effective as you would hope. It pays to make it personal, but it also takes practice. Test new stories out in a more relaxed setting before you use them to motivate your team. If you're looking for a place to do it, I would recommend the back nine.
Networking is no longer about the stuff you make, but rather, the stories you tell. How does your story begin?