Strategy #21: Be a cheerleader and a story-teller

In his book Leadership A to Z, James O’Toole comments that the most important role an executive can play in an organization is to be a cheerleader. He goes on to wonder why so many executives feel uncomfortable in that role, seeming to think that they must be serious and buttoned-down, exhibiting all the symptoms of what the humorist and speaker C. W. Metcalf calls “terminal professionalism.” If you’re a boss and your excuse for not being more enthusiastic about the organization’s mission, and for not being more of a cheerleader, is that you’re basically shy and introverted, then I just have one thing to say to you: Get over it! Push yourself out of your comfort zone and let your enthusiasm shine.You’ll be a lot more effective, and have a lot more fun. Leaders who practice “management by walking around,” who are visibly enthusiastic about their mission and their people, and who make the time to connect with people in a meaningful way, promote incredible loyalty.

One of the most effective ways to connect with people, and to be comfortable in social settings, is to become a good story-teller.  I never cease to be amazed at how many senior leaders have not made the investment in themselves to become effective speakers and story-tellers. It’s really not all that difficult. You begin by finding stories that reinforce the key points you wish to make. There are stories everywhere, you just need to keep your eyes open. Here are several examples from my own work:

When I’m speaking about courage (as the author of Never Fear, Never Quit, I do this fairly often), I sometimes describe a scene from the movie U-571 in which a young Navy skipper is unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role. One of the first lessons he learns is that he must never infect his men with his own anxiety.

My favorite story about vision is one that I “borrowed” from another speaker (the great poet T.S. Eliot said that good poets borrow, but great poets steal), and then (through many retellings) adapted to my own purposes. It bombed the first time I told it, but over the years I’ve perfected it to the point where it’s guaranteed to get a laugh.

When I’m talking about creating a high-performance team in a dysfunctional organization, I’ll sometimes act out the scene from the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in which Randall Patrick McMurphy takes his fellow inmates deep sea fishing. It always gets a laugh (possibly of recognition), and makes the point that if these “crazy” people can work together as a team in a difficult setting, then we can too.

Every leader should become adept at crafting and telling stories.  And the most important story for you to tell is the story of your organization.  You need to tell the story in his many different ways as you can, but do it in a way that reaches people emotionally and spiritually. That is what achieves their buy-in. And anyone can do it.

To paraphrase something that is sometimes said about the process of creative writing, there are no boring stories, there are only boring storytellers. I’ve heard CEOs of large organizations tell their stories in a way that would put a hyperactive two-year-old to sleep. On the other hand, I’ve heard housekeeping directors tell their department stories in a way that could bring tears your eyes.

Once you’ve selected your stories, then it’s just a matter of practicing until you get it right. Hint: your audiences will be far more accepting and enthusiastic than you fear will be the case before you’ve started.  Another hint: If you tell the same jokes and stories over and over again to employees and customers, you might begin to worry that you’ll bore people, or look ridiculous, by repeating yourself. Don’t. In my experience, most people won’t remember having heard it, and if they do, they won’t mind.

Interlude: On having sex with your audience, and the collection and sharing of legacy stories

I was once having lunch with the CEO of the nation’s largest producer of corporate training videos. We were discussing the most effective communication techniques when he said, “Joe, if you really want to reach an audience, you have to have sex with them.” I almost choked on my noodles! “All of them?” He went on to explain that effective communication begins by creating a Significant Emotional eXperience.

The single-most powerful way of creating a significant emotional experience is by telling a story. When I was an MBA student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, I also worked at Hewlett-Packard. Back then (this would have been 1984), the company’s culture was defined by The HP Way, which was routinely reinforced by the telling of “Bill and Dave” stories. Like when Bill (Hewlett) cut the lock off a cabinet door and left a note saying that HP people trusted one another, so did not need to lock up their instruments. The danger of forgetting those stories is reflected by the fact that the last chairman of the HP board was indicted for spying on fellow board members (Bill and Dave would be rolling over in their graves).

Try this:  I am currently working with Auto-Owners Insurance (the company I’ve mentioned above) on a project to collect “legacy stories” that reflect their core values, operating principles, and business philosophy.  We believe that sharing real stories will be more effective than just putting these things into a policy manual. That’s something any company can do, because everyone has stories. At Sentara Obici Hospital in Virginia, for example, nurses have shared their stories in a book called The Heart of Obici Nursing. Can you hire a college student to collect and edit your stories?

"Optimistic, enthusiastic leaders more easily retain their people, compared with those bosses who tend toward negative moods… Of all the factors in a company’s control, tuned-out, dissonant leaders are one of the main reasons that talented people leave – and take the company’s knowledge with them.”

Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee: Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

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