Great Leaders Create Shared Stories

When I read “The 10 Stories Great Leaders Need to Tell,”  it really hit home with me because incredible leaders connect people. They connect people to each other,  to causes, movements, ideas and more. This connection is the foundation of calling people to action. Beliefs first, behavior next.  The greatest leaders I followed wholeheartedly could tell these stories. 10 stories great leaders need to be able to tell:

Where We Came From (A Founding Story)

Why We Can’t Stay Here (A Case-for-Change Story)

Where We’re Going (A Vision Story)

How We’re Going to Get There (A Strategy Story)

What We Believe (A Corporate-Values Story)

Who We Serve (A Customer Story)

What We Do for Our Customers (A Sales Story)

How We’re Different from Our Competitors (A Marketing Story)

Why I Lead the Way I Do (A Leadership-Philosophy Story)

Why You Should Want to Work Here (A Recruiting Story)

If you read this list and thought, hmm… not sure. You’re not alone. Most leaders have only a few of these in their mind. Even fewer leaders have these stories purposefully  crafted. Fewer still have these important tales ready to go with fine-tuned delivery. Start small with a story you know well that type it out creating a rough, first-draft.  Then begin to eliminate the non-essential and build out the meaningful. Video tape yourself and watch it back. This article also has a link to a workbook to get you started. Good luck  on your story-telling journey!