The Power of Storytelling and the Narratives we tell Ourselves

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Donald Stuart Chappell, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

INTRODUCTION

Human beings shape our world through, and are shaped by, the stories we tell ourselves and others. These stories help determine our spirituality, our politics, our values, our traditions, our organizational cultures, our societies, and essentially every other facet of human existence. I think we all know this at an intuitive level, and I, having studied and enjoyed literature for much of my life, am especially appreciative of the power of good storytelling. But I am not unique for my love of stories—all humans are moved and influenced by stories and these stories are told in virtually every setting in which humans gather. To name only a few, narratives are found in churches, town hall meetings, the local bar, and, yes, even in the organizations in which we work and lead.
As an organizational leader, if I wrap an idea, a policy, or an initiative I want you to accept and support into a convincing, emotionally engaging narrative, my chances of convincing you are strong. On the other hand, if I try to sway you from something you strongly believe with nothing more than a generic request, or even a directive, the likelihood of your buy-in is small.
Stories also shape us at a very individual level. We all tell ourselves little narratives to help us make sense of why we believe, behave, or think the way we do, and often these narratives are as fictional as my favorite novel. And that is because these inner stories are by their nature subjective and consist of partial, select information which, more often than not, serve to bolster our perspective while minimizing and even misconstruing outside perspectives.

STORYTELLING IN THE WORKPLACE

What exactly are we referring to when we talk about workplace narratives or organizational storytelling? Arguably the best place to start is by clarifying what we are not talking about. When we talk about storytelling, we are not necessarily talking about elaborately crafted stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end that also have a riveting plotline. As a matter of fact, most stories that impact an organization are nowhere near that well-constructed. When we talk about stories in the workplace, or, that is, organizational storytelling, we are essentially referring to any form in which we present information, facts, values, goals, and a whole host of other items in a format that transforms them into something that can create a deeper emotional and cognitive attachment on the behalf of the receivers of that information; that is, the type of storytelling we are talking about is taking any information we are relaying and putting it into a form that allows the receiver to form a personal, emotional connection with that information.

THREE FORMS OF ORGANIZATIONAL NARRATIVES

The three forms of organizational storytelling we briefly cover below are: storytelling as a way for leaders to enact change; storytelling as a way to make the quantitative, or anything that is difficult to understand, not only understandable but relatable and even sympathetic; and storytelling in the form of the narratives we tell ourselves, which in turn guide much of what we believe and do.

STORYTELLING TO ENACT CHANGE

One commonly used narrative style to enact change is the “under-dog” narrative (sport coaches do this a lot when taking over a not-so-good team). In the context of change enactment, storytelling works well because effective stories that are repeated can create an emotional attachment that pure facts, logic, and reason simply cannot. This is not to say that facts, reason, and logic do not matter, but they are much more easily digestible and much more effective if they are presented in the form of a narrative.
Essentially, storytelling as a means to enact change gives people a reason to care about or feel attached to the change (i.e., buy-in).

*Steve Jobs was a master storyteller (the success of Apple’s products have as much to do with the possibilities and lifestyle associated with them as it has to do with their innovative features–indeed, the innovation and the narratives can be viewed as inseparable, complementary elements).

STORYTELLING TO MAKE THE DIFFICULT AND ABSTRACT MORE RELATABLE

Franklin D. Roosevelt was credited as being a master at this (he would take the charts that showed all the statistical data related to how the Great Depression was impacting the nation and would deliver the same message through anecdotes of how it was impacting regular, everyday people). Ronald Reagan was also very effective at using stories to create an image that many Americans could support.

On a much more personal and less grand note, when I present charts to my team, I relate what they are telling through a sort of walk-through dialogue of what the data means to our reality going forward.
Again, data and facts are important, but by themselves they do not tend to push the needle for the masses. It is stories that will make the data both more understandable and more relatable.

THE NARRATIVES WE TELL OURSELVES

A book, which also has a training program built off of it, that covers this well is “Crucial Conversations.”
Essentially, “beware the stories you tell yourself.” We see the world through one set of eyes and one set of ears–and that set is of course our own. And the information those eyes and ears capture are relayed to a brain that has been structured through years of selective and relatively limited information; and through this relatively limited information, we go about trying to interpret what is happening to and around us.

To combat the limitations of interpreting the world through one limited and necessarily biased brain, we should always attempt to gather information that is outside of our particular perspective and that derives from sources that are outside of our typical sources. And remember that humans typically craft internal narratives about a situation or outcome that serve to confirm their existing views (i.e., confirmation bias).

FINAL WORD

Stories are an integral and powerful component of human existence and while they can be used to enact positive change and make the unrelatable more relatable, they are ultimately subjective, and, therefore, the truth they purport should never be accepted uncritically.

*For a more nuanced take on this topic, please check out the corresponding episode on The Introspective Leader Podcast. Co-hosted by Stuart, The Introspective Leader Podcast delves into the ideas and practices that will help you become a more effective and respected organizational leader!