The Power of Storytelling: Developing the Brand Called YOU

Transcription

1 The Power of Storytelling: Developing the Brand Called YOU Bonnie Richley, MSODA, PhD AVP, Department of Human Resources Assistant Professor, Department of Organizational Behavior Case Western Reserve University

2 Agenda Understanding the power of storytelling Creating and delivering your story that highlights and markets your personal brand and how this concept applies to your team, department, and organization Understanding how storytelling relates to networking Action steps to strengthen your brand through storytelling

3 What s your story? Discuss this in pairs for 5 minutes

4 We all live in organizations filled with stories If you want to learn about a culture, listen to the stories. If you want to change a culture, change the stories. The stories we tell literally make our world.

5 Why stories? Imagine, in one global day, the pages of prose turned, plays performed, films screened, the unending stream of television comedy and drama, 24-hour print and broadcast news, bedtime tales told to children, barroom bragging, back fence internet gossip, humankind s insatiable appetite for stories. Story is not only our most prolific art form but rivals all activities work, play, eating, exercise for our waking hours. We tell and take stories as much as we sleep and even then we dream. Why? Why is so much of our life spent inside stories? Because as critic Kenneth Burke tells us, stories are equipment for living. Day after day [we use stories to] see an answer to the ageless question Aristotle posed in Ethics: How should a human being lead his/her life? Robert McKee, Story, 1997 Stories provide a path.

6 Today I want to challenge you to think of your work in the field of HR in a very different way that of a storyteller with a powerful and unique brand.

7 Why? Because at the heart of our work is to build relationships that matter. This is the game changer understanding who we are (i.e., our brand -- what we stand for, the value we create, what we promise to deliver) and really getting to know others (i.e., what matters to them). This moves us away from our work being viewed as transactional to relational. What would change if this happened?

8 Storytelling = Real relationships "In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions." Margaret Wheatley

9 Your story represents your brand It signifies what is important to you It gives meaning to your life It encompasses all of your experiences from your past (positive/negative influences), present (what you are doing and with whom), and future hopes (where you are headed) Your story influences all of those with whom you come in contact for better or worse. Stories are the primary vehicle for true connection.

10 What story have you been telling about you, your work, your team, your organization? Have you consciously created multiple stories to tell? Do you have an old story that you want to replace with an exciting new story the story of the true you? A new story about the meaning of your work, your team, and organization?

11 Your new story: What is needed Passion What matters? Authenticity Presenting the real you Focus Purpose embedded in the larger story Crafting the narrative Who is involved in the story? What sort of action takes place? Why does it matter? Telling Finding your storytelling voice And

12 So what is asked of us, the tellers of the new story, is our voice and our courage. Margaret J. Wheatley

13 Storytelling and your brand The best way to let others know about your brand is by telling your story. Behind every great brand is a great story. Sharlene Sones

14 CEO of Me, Inc. It's this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else. Tom Peters

15 Marketing you, your team, etc. Our personal brand what we say, how we say it, and what we want others to remember about us is what will set us apart from everyone else. What are the stories you ve been telling about you, your team, organization?

16 What would you say are the attributes of their personal brands? Their brands are actually the stories you tell about their product.

17 Your top brands Who are your top three brands? Why did they make your top 3 list? What do they represent to you? What makes them marketable? What are their unique qualities? What links them to your personal brand?

18 Creating the Brand Named You Every successful company has a brand. Should you be any different? We are all the chief branding officers of our own personal brands. We have the power to determine and control our own reputation, whether through our actions at the workplace or through what we decide to Tweet. We are able to create our own sense of distinctiveness, trust and confidence. In every environment, from the workplace to the Web, people make choices that affect their personal brand whether it is who to work with (and who to avoid), who to follow, who to "friend", or what special message to share in 140 characters. How you manage your personal brand in any of these mediums will determine how others view you and ultimately shape your career and your life. Ron Ashkenas, Define your personal brand (2010)

19 Critical skill Central to the concept of marketing your personal brand is the ability to communicate exceptionally in all venues: informal, formal, verbal and written communication. Even the briefest of s becomes significant when viewed from this perspective. It is the ability to market your brand in various storytelling forms.

20 Building your story Beginning Middle End Set the scene Establish the characters Something takes place such as an event or experience (e.g., conflict, success, failure) What happened? What was the outcome (e.g., what you learned, etc.) Conveyed with passion, emotion, and truth!

21 Memorable Brands signal: Functional benefits Emotion Positive impact Alignment Uniqueness The brand is a promise of the value you'll receive. Tom Peters

22 The stories you tell reverberate throughout the organization through networks both formal and informal. Be aware that your networks are also telling your story.

23 Networking and your brand All of our work is impacted by the relationships we intentionally choose to create everyday. Our brand, how we tell our stories, either connects or disconnects us from others. And no one works alone. Bonnie Richley Networking is the art of building relationships before you need them. Darling, 2003

24 Social Networking: Key terms Networking (the process) the building and nurturing of personal and professional relationships to create a system or chain of information, contacts, and support. (DeJanasz, S. (2002) Interpersonal Skills in Organizations, p. 192) Networks are a means to achieve goals that otherwise cannot be attained (Flap, 2001) Social Capital (the outcome) the value that comes from knowing who, when, and how to coordinate through various contacts within and beyond the firm. (Thompson, L. (2000) Making the team: A guide for managers, p. 175) Social Capital consists of the number of people in a network, their willingness to lend support, and their ability to do so. (Bourdieu, 1980)

25 Social Networking: Key terms STRONG TIES A relative, friend, neighbor, or co-worker that the central person sees often, and interacts with on a frequent bases (Crowell, 2003) Utility: Facilitate higher levels of cooperation and the transfer of complex knowledge Formed: Usually forged when relationships are critical to both sides and build over long periods of time Hallmark: Tend to possess the same information and connections as the central person. Have a high frequency of interaction. WEAK TIES People to whom the central person is marginally connected and has little contact with (Granovetter, 1974) Utility: rounding up handy knowledge and expertise Formed: Extensive and informal relationships Hallmark: Tend to provide connections to diverse resources in unrelated or unfamiliar arenas. Have a low frequency of interaction.

26 Beginning with YOU! All successful networking begins with how well you know yourself. You simply cannot network successfully if you do not know how to market yourself. Know yourself, know your brand, know how to tell your stories. 3 key strengths when getting to know others? 3 key weaknesses when getting to know others?

27 Personal network A professional network is the set of relationships critical to ones ability to get things done, get ahead, and develop personally and professionally Task oriented contacts Career development relationships Social ties/relationships What patterns characterize your network? Is it aligned with your objectives? Can it be improved? Who have you been telling your story to and how often?

28 Practice telling my story/brand

29 Effective delivery of your brand through networking Dimensions of effective Networks: Incorporate different kinds of people (diversity) Incorporate different types of relationships Provide links to multiple networks Developing multiple stories for different venues anchored in your real self

30 Thoughts going forward: The life of a story Stories reveal themselves over time Clarity or knowing the story is a recursive process You must listen to the story, tell it to others early on to refine or make sense of the story Giving voice to your story is telling it to yourself as well Stories take time; leave your story for awhile and then come to it again; it will tell you new things Ask others to talk with you about your story; new aspects of your story will emerge through conversation and fresh perspective Create a storytelling circle

31 Thoughts going forward: Your stories and why they matter Purpose (i.e., your three stories): 1) What do you love to do? What are you good at? Highlights skills, areas of interest and expertise. 2) What are you passionate about and why? Highlights your values, underlying strengths/skills and insight about your worldview. 3) How do you want to make an impact in your life and for others? Why is this significant to you? Highlights leadership, values, ability to contribute to others and your greater vision. The ability to create a compelling vision is essential to all leaders.

32 Thoughts going forward: Other stories Building your new stories: A time when you learned something new A unique experience that shaped your life or helped you to learn about yourself and/or others A time when you experienced success A time when you experienced failure Something you are excited about learning or experiencing Something beyond work passions, hobbies, etc.

33 And a few more to consider People don t really buy a product, service, or idea, they buy the story that s attached to it. Your brand is far more than just a name, a logo, or a tagline; it s the stories that people tell about you. Storytelling is like fortune-telling. The act of choosing a certain story determines the probability of future outcomes. Michael Margolis

34 Closing Consider what you want to most take with you going forward about telling your story. Take a minute to write several ideas about the powerful new story for you, your team, and your organization. 34

35 Tell your story, change the world. Bonnie Richley