The value of a good story

Think back to memories in your head. Are they facts and figures or do they tend to be images? My guess is that you have images and stories that you recall.

There is extraordinary power in these stories being imprinted in our mind. So think of an area you want someone to improve and then tell them a story. And you have two options here…

1) Think of a story that someone did something right demonstrating the specific behaviors you want them to exhibit
2) Paint a picture of what it would be like if they did these behaviors.

The key here is specifics. It is not “good customer service” it is “imagine the customer laughing on the way out joking with the cashiers”; it is not “be more efficient” it is “imagine it is 3 p.m. and you have nothing you have to do because you have completed those tasks and you go to your ‘want to do’ list and start cranking”. Better yet… have your people draw up these scenarios and read them to you.

These details put an image in our mind and make it seem real to us. It helps our people know where we want them to go. It is a picture of the goal they can put in their mind. And stories make it easier. A good scenario can imprint what some planners call “a memory of the future” in our mind that we can use to direct ourselves and our teams.

Take a few minutes this week and see if you can find a time to use stories and specifics to teach your people and see if that helps the story sink in.

The more scenarios of desired performance or stories with details of where we want everyone to be – the easier it will be for our people to see where they are going and for you to lead them. And that is of course what we all want to know.

If you try it out let me know and see if a good story can help your people move. I think you will see that it will.