Leaders and Entrepreneurs must be good storytellers. They have to be so that they can realize the dreams and goals they have for their business, product or service. I met a local Entrepreneur. A young one at that. At least to me, he was young as he had not yet reached his 20th Birthday. He was sent to me for advice regarding his new business venture. As I sat in the local Coffee Shop, I watched him, and his product walk toward me. He was excited, and you could tell that by looking at him.
He sat down, and we did the age-old shaking of hands introductions and chatted for a few moments. Then, he began to tell me a story. The story of him and the story of his product. He had a fire in his eyes and his words hung in the air as I listened to every one of them. His enthusiasm as he told his story, he told his plan, was captivating.
He talked about his vision for his product and by extension his new venture. It wasn’t just words because he had a binder with projections and costs and marketing ideas. He talked about the goals he wanted to achieve through this product and company. What he did was took me into the future after he had begun to achieve success and then beyond that. This young Entrepreneur knew where he was going, and he could tell the story about that.
Leaders and Entrepreneurs – Good Storytellers
What is Story Telling and Why is it important?
- Storytelling is a key leadership tool because it’s free, natural, energizing, builds collaboration, persuasive, entertaining, authentic and memorable.
- Stories help us make sense of organizations.
- Storytelling can inspire people to act in ways that they would not normally. Charts of numbers and PowerPoint slides won’t make it happen.
- Story Telling creates energy to do things better, to do them differently.
- People tell business stories to communicate ideas. They tell them to employees, customers, colleagues, partners, suppliers, and the media, all with a single purpose. To communicate and achieve a goal.
- Business stories are different from regular stories. While both entertain, the purpose of a business story is to share with the audience an objective, goal, or desired outcome.
What does a good story include? It should address 4 primary areas:
- Time and Place
- Who is the story about
- What does the storyteller want
- What are the obstacles to success
Good storytellers are also very good listeners. They react to what the audience says or does. Good storytellers practice their stories. They shouldn’t sound rehearsed, but at the same time, they shouldn’t drag on and on.
Good storytellers captivate their audience with words, gestures and enthusiasm. The audience can feel, touch hear, see and sometimes even smell your story.
Good Entrepreneurs and Leaders are masters of storytelling. The grasp that the ability to tell a story isn’t about entertaining or being popular. They know that this is about sharing a vision that will achieve success and good outcomes. They know their stories can be about success, failure, mistakes turned into triumph and more. Entrepreneurs and leaders know they cannot achieve their dreams alone. They communicate through stories with others to build a team, a force that will accomplish the dream.
A key tool of success as a Leader or Entrepreneur is the ability to tell a compelling business story. This is not a skill that comes naturally for some, and it must be developed, practiced and honed. Like any good tool, you have to take care of it. Storytelling will make getting where you want to go easier. Learn to tell a good business story. Leaders and Entrepreneurs – Good Storytellers