The Key to Success at Work: Think Like a Storyteller
Our ability to create shared myths and stories shapes history and civilization, but our modern professional lives leave us little headspace for a storytelling mindset.
Humans’ unique ability to create and believe in shared myths and stories has played a crucial role in shaping the sweep of history and civilization. But on a day-to-day level, our modern professional lives leave us very little headspace to do anything else except power through back-to-back meetings, emails, calls, pick-ups, drop-offs, and never-ending To-Do-Lists.
But what if we could more readily tap into this powerful tool WE ALREADY POSSESS, and use it to enhance our everyday experiences and outcomes? Using a "storytelling mindset" can enhance your work, career, and relationships.
We don't need to be writers, marketers, or “keynote speakers” to tap into its power; storytelling is within all of us. It can help us decipher complex dynamics, reveal underlying motivations, and communicate with precision and impact.
Let’s break this down into a simple, actionable, and memorable playbook. There are 3 core elements of a story:
Structure: Beginning, Middle, End --where are we in the story? What led to this moment, what's happening now, and what happens next?
Plot: A story's backbone is its plot, driven by tension or conflict, the feeling of anticipation or uncertainty that keeps the audience engaged in a story, eager to find out what happens next.
Characters: Identity, Background, Motivation--who are we dealing with here, what has brought them here now, and where do they want to take this story?
A basic understanding of each and how they interact can give you an immediate and tangible boost to your everyday work interactions.
Here are a couple of examples you can use as a template.
💡 Example: Project kickoff meeting
🎭 Beginning sets the stage: project scope and team roles
🤔 Plot tension possible if someone feels overlooked, overworked, unprepared, or has other hidden motivations
👀 Watch nonverbal cues like crossed arms or furrowed brows, listen for signs like hesitation or silence, and ask clarifying questions
👂 The Middle: Detailing project timeline, resources, and potential roadblocks
👥 Watch for signs of tension like disagreements or interruptions and create a safe space for open and honest communication
🎉 Resolve tensions by genuinely listening, understanding the other's perspectives, summarizing and playing them back factually, and finding a mutually agreed upon solution to move the story forward with a stronger relationship.
🎯 End with a memorable summary, where all the conflicts and tensions are resolved, and the story's loose ends are tied together. Everyone knows what happens next.
💡 Example: performance reviews
🎭 Performance reviews are particularly tricky because The Past is very much in the room NOW precisely because you are reviewing an employee's past performance, in the present 🤯. If the past performance was of low quality, tension is likely to arise, making it harder to move forward constructively.
👀 Watch nonverbal cues such as avoidance, fidgeting or lack of eye contact, they're signals for you to ask open-ended questions that spark conversation and elicit context for past performance.
👂 Moving beyond The Past, so The Present has a chance to build. During a performance review, evaluating an employee's current contributions and skills can create tension. The goal is to foster open communication and create opportunities for both the employee and the organization to share feedback.
👥 Consider the character in front of you. Watch for cues like disagreements or misunderstandings that present a potential conflict and create dissonance within the story. To defuse tension during a performance review, acknowledge and empathize 🤝 with the employee's perspective. Use this empathy to shape a collaborative narrative.
🗺️ Understanding the plot's cues allows you to shape the story to achieve a positive outcome. By knowing where you are in the story and what characters you are dealing with, you can better tailor your approach to take advantage of key turning points in your interaction.
🎉 The ending resolves the tension by discussing potential career aspirations, and creating a roadmap that moves the story towards growth and development.
Embracing a storytelling mindset doesn't mean you have to weave grand tales. It means recognizing and becoming adept at working with the inherent narrative structures in our everyday interactions.
When you start viewing your interactions through this storytelling lens, it's like cracking a secret code. You'll see patterns in behavior, decipher underlying motivations, and navigate complex dynamics with greater ease.
These are just 2 examples of workplace interactions that you can apply a storytelling mindset to. How would you approach other interactions that happen in our professional lives? Let me know in the comments.