Effects of Stories

Effects of Stories

In the workforce there is no currency more valuable than a person attuned to the story of the business 

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Elon Musk sat down and wrote a blog in 2006 entitled, “The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (between you and me).”  

It told a story– it outlined the issues with emissions and the end effect that pollution will have on the planet (the antagonist) and created for the reader a hero, the electric car, that will save us from the dismal future that quickly approaches.  

More than a decade later, on the back of that story, Tesla Motors is the most valuable car company in the United States. 

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Steve Jobs stood on a stage in San Fransisco on a January day in 2007.  

He told the story of the company that he built- from the Macintosh to the Ipod- and made a promise that 3 new revolutionary devices would be released.  

  • A Widescreen Ipod with Touch controls 
  • A revolutionary mobile phone 
  • A breakthrough Internet communications device.  

An Ipod. A phone. An Internet communicator. Not three separate devices- one device to rule them all 

The Iphone that has been the cornerstone of the biggest company in the world.  

He told a story.  

He outlined the wasteland of technology at the time and how the glass-front savior would change the world.  

 

He told a story. He outlined the wasteland of technology at the time and how the glass-front savior would change the world. 

 

Think of your business- does your staff know your story 

Do they understand that the tale will have an arc and that changes will pop up as growth takes it’s course? Do they understand the enemy that you’re fighting? Do they understand the hero that will save the day?  

The Tesla staff does.  

The Apple staff does.  

To be competitive in business there is absolutely no substitute for a narrative that binds your staff in mission and outlines the path that they’ll walk.  

 

To be competitive in business there is absolutely no substitute for a narrative that binds your staff in mission and outlines the path that they’ll walk. 

 

Think of your customers- do they know your story? Do they understand the value of your product? When money is on the line a spec sheet will not suffice; you need a villain, you need a journey, you need a hero 

The audience must look around and see the decay that they are living in and the hope for new life in your product or service. 

 

What’s YOUR Vision? 

 

  • So, how do you communicate your story?  
  • How is it communicated to your staff; how is it communicated to your customers?