CBODN: About - Interview

Interview – July 2008 Program

How did you become interested in organizational storytelling and talent engagement?

Lynne: My father was a master storyteller and he used it advantageously in both his personal and professional work so from the time I was a small child, I experienced firsthand the positive power of both listening and telling stories. It seemed natural for me to apply in my professional work what I had learned from my father. As a result, in the 90's, I pioneered organizational storytelling in the government for leadership, knowledge management, strategic planning, and training. I also co-founded the international organizational storytelling group, GoldenFleece, and went on to receive a certificate in business narrative from the Center for Narrative Studies

Annabelle: I co-authored a book on resumes (2005) where our approach was: "Your are telling your professional story through your resume." Seth Kahn, a noted organizational storyteller, wrote part of the preface explaining the impact of stories on organizations. I then joined the local storytelling organization, Golden Fleece, and after completing my publication on Talent Retention (2007), realized the role that organization stories can play in the engagement and retention of talent.

What links do you see between storytelling & OD?

Organizational storytelling can be applied to a number of OD arenas including greater effectiveness of teamwork, change acceptance, and increased motivation for high performance with development of trust & loyalty. Stories can have an impact on the three most common performance challenges: leadership, strategic selling and motivation

Why should someone attend your workshop?

People attending our works will receive the following benefits:

Become aware of the advantage of storytelling as a training and development tool to establish a foundation of trust resulting in:

Strengthening of relationships and familiarity among people who a) may not have worked together before and b) may not be meeting face to face, allowing business to be conducted in a positive arena leading to high productive outcomes.
Motivating and encouraging highly skilled talent to identify with the organization and its culture and values – stimulating loyalty.
Enhancing the case for an organization to take deliberate steps towards a culture of retention.

How do you use or approach storytelling with clients?

Depending upon the goals of the clients, we use varying storytelling techniques. For example, we might use one or combine a number of techniques. These could include the "living stories" process, stories who say who you are, vision stories, stories to share knowledge, or stories to inspire leaders to action. The power of using stories rather than purely factual and analytical thinking is they connect people in a holistic way and help to quickly develop trust between the client and practitioner, which is essential to co-creating an authentic, collaborative partnership.

Please share an example of the impact of storytelling on you or a client.

Lynne: When we tell and listen to stories, we are able to bring our whole self to understanding the situation. Stories allow us to step in another person's shoes without judgment but rather with empathy and understanding.An example is how effective stories are in developing trust and rapport in virtual teams where people have never met face-to-face. Stories are also especially effective in cross-cultural teams and organizations.

Annabelle: In my private practice as a career coach, when working with clients to develop their resume, I use the analogy that this is their professional story, and therefore, should be in their words to come across as authentic and bona fide - truly marketing their qualifications and experience. This also allows them to feel they are in control of creating the resume.

What advice would you give to other OD practitioners on incorporating storytelling into their work?

OD practitioners first need to know their own story before they can help others to develop theirs. By telling and listening to our own stories as well as our clients' stories, OD practioners gain greater self-discovery which helps themto be better practitioners. Stories bring forth authenticity, engagement, and a sense of knowing ourselves and the clients we work with. Stories allow us to step in another person's shoes without judgment but rather with empathy and understanding.

What books, articles, or practices would you recommend to someone who wants to learn more?

Examples of books on organizational storytelling include:

1.      Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action thru Narrative, by Stephen Denning, Jossey-Bass (2007).  .
2.      Wake Me Up When The Data Is Over: How Organizations Use Storytelling to Drive Results, by Lori Silverman, Jossey-Bass (2006).
3      What’s Your Story? Using Stories to Ignite Performance and Be More Successful by Craig Worthmann, Kaplan Publishing (2006). Demonstrates .
5.      Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How To Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact by Annette Simmons, AMACOM (2007).

Example of books on talent hiring, management and retention include:

1.        Retaining Your Best People, The Results-Driven Manager Series, Harvard Business School Press (2006).
3.      Savvy Is Not Enough! The South Pole Strategy and Other Powerful Talent Management Secrets by Alan Guarino, Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2007).
4.      Talent Force: A New Manifest for the Human Side of Business by Rusty Rueff and Hank Stringer, Prentice Hall (2006).
5.      Workforce Engagement Strategies to Attract, Motivate and Retain by Stephen Hundley & Frederic Jacobs, World at Work Press (2007).

And finally, the latest book by Stephen M. Covey, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, Free Press (2006)

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