Success and the power of storytelling

 The world we live in is changing at warp speed. So fast that we can’t even determine what to call it?  Is it the Big Data Age, the Social Age, the Age of Humans?

What we are thinking and doing today will be different tomorrow. So, how do we endure time and change? We tell stories. Stories that help bind us; allowing us to establish and build groups that work together. This is an ability no other primate possesses. It has allowed sapiens to survive and flourish even though our physical strength and stature are inferior to most of our adversaries. Our ability to create and tell stories was critical to our survival in centuries past and it is still critical today.  Great leaders know that stories bind us together and propel us through time and change.

Next time you attend an important business meeting, listen to the keynote address at an e-conference, or watch a moving political speech, be on the lookout for stories. Strong leaders will insert a story into their presentation. They will wrap it in belief that binds the group. You’ll notice that those who tell stories are more memorable than those who don’t. They are also socially more powerful.

Our recommendation is that you get into the habit of wrapping your important messages into a story.

The digital world has changed us. But as long as sapiens are in control, the primal need for story to build community is not going to change,

And as for Artificial Intelligence… that is a story for another day :).