I just returned from a pretty inspiring learning stretch on the road for the past six weeks, and went through some of the tangigble and virtual business cards that I colelcted with the new people and job changers I have met. What intrigued me most was the continued creative depth of titles encountered. We found “Chief Mission Officer,” “Brand Evangelist.” “Business Sculptor,” “Business Magician,” “Lead Advocate.” “Growth Leader,’ “Vision Clarity Officer,” “Director of Fun,” “Re-Imagineer” and “Future Strategy Lead” amongst the pile. Every time I asked the question…”what Exactly Does It Mean.” The answer usually comes back to be much simpler, and many times it involves making sure the company, or the team or the league is on message, organized and moving forward.
In short, making sure the story is straight, and in most cases, is very clearly defined for an audience that is here today, on to the next thing tomorrow. A search of “Chief Storyteller” brings up 75,000 results on Google and Linked in, so this topic of being clear on the why also resurrected itself twice with the same individual during an early morning Starbucks chat in Newport News, Virginia on Saturday and Sunday. I noticed an older man…realizing I am now falling into that category as well, lol…sitting, talking to people who were coming in and taking notes in what looked like a journal. While I waited for my Americano, I had to ask what he was recording. His name was Robert Shier, and he was retired but had taken on a role of listening and meeting people who happened across his way, and then recording in his journal the lessons he took from those encounters and what he was learning. He didn’t have a title, but he said if he did it would be “Curious Learner,” one which is certainly worthy of the pile I had gathered. He quickly told me of the people he came across in the nondescript Starbucks, and what he was able to learn as they went about their one time meetings or regualr stop ins during their morning routines…parents, teachers, shipworkers and the like. Each was different, but he loved hearing from them as time went along. Learning their story on each step.
So, while all the reframing of titles and figuring ways to cut through the clutter is important, fun and valid, the ability to tell one’s story, be it in a Starbucks or on a stage, remains vital and growing for the individual, business, cause, family, team, league, or platform, especially in a world of shouting, Flooding the Zone and short attention spans.
The ability to accurately and succinctly spin a narrative that is engaging and delivers a message is so key to any form of business, and in the business of sports, media, and entertainment, the stories are what keep us engaged and interested. Heroes and villains, human interest, falls from grace, superhuman effort, unexpected wins and losses: all make up the reasons why we watch, we engage, we consume, and we keep moving sports to the front page. It’s all about the story and, how we tell it, and how it can shine. The American Revolution History Museum in Yorktown which we visited had a great visual way of succinctly telling a story…typing a message of personal relevance that was illuminated and connected on a tree…a perfect way to meld messages for all to understand and join.
While it sounds cute and other worldly, along the lines of the overused phrases and descriptions like guru and evangelist, Chief Storyteller, even with a different title, is critical to brand success and much more than a bit of a niche. Cities like Detroit and Denver have someone in this role now.
Holland America, J. Crew, Nike, SAP, and Microsoft all now have someone in the role. Classes at business schools big and small are focusing on the telling of a story. Why is it valuable? One of the greatest interviewers of multiple generations, Dick Cavett, explained why.
“Don’t do interviews, create and engage in a conversation.”
Now this is not just a historian curating the time worn traditions of a brand in a dusty old room. The past is certainly part of the story, but so are some other old school traits; listening, consensus building, writing, combined with a new understanding of digital and social media and making sure that things are moving along in lock step. It also doesn’t just apply to big brands. In a hyper-local environment that we have today, small companies, as well as every institute of higher learning, should take pride and understanding in the value and power of telling the story correctly. Heck, even look to Broadway, where the greatest storytelling of a generation has been done by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the hit musical “Hamilton,” much of which is based upon a simple mantra… “who lives, who dies who tells your story.”
The impact of telling a story cleanly and correctly and consistency, and keeping that story straight is invaluable.
So the cynics will say this is just another marketing or “public relations” spin. The jobs of storytelling have been done in different ways since the creation of business. Anyone can do it as part of their role. Well, not really. Having those key traits, and adding one more, the ability to be ALWAYS LEARNING and being willing to TEACH, are what makes the great storytellers. By using all those, checking the ego at the door and constantly evolving in a calm manor, the storytelling aspect can keep brands afloat, help companies raise cash, recruit talent, and perhaps more importantly save corporations, teams, brands, leagues, countless hours of reinvention. While we all go about our business in a silo with our head down, that person is listening, watching, communicating (in all forms- even talking to people) and making sure that messages are consistent, that changes and adjustments are made, and that the success and failures of the past are built into a successful forward-thinking narrative.
The great news is the violent changes in the media culture today are creating opportunities for storytellers who are looking to evolve. Writers, editors, corporate communicators, strategists both older and even a bit younger, who are willing to embrace change, listen and adapt new technology can fill these “old school” roles of effective storytelling. In a culture where business is constantly changing, that role is needed more than ever in the C-Suite.
So what this Chief Storyteller is not? He or she understands spin but is not a spin doctor. He or she places the right credence on the facts and engages them in the conversation. The storyteller doesn’t reinvent history with alternative facts; he or she places the right amount of emphasis on the elements of the story and draws examples from the reality. The Storyteller is usually not a shouter. He or she is not the boastful backslapper; he or she is more of the brand whisperer. He or she is not just a yes person, the storyteller puts perspective on all that is going on in the business, the team, the real world, and has developed the trust to build the narrative. He or she knows when to tell an evolving brand to pivot in a narrative, and when to remember lessons learned that have gotten a brand to where it is. He or she is not staid in their learning. The storyteller is fluid, open minded and watch and learning about every way to engage in a narrative correctly.
It is tied to the great storytellers in Hollywood by the use of the same tools: listening well, aggregating thought, assembling a storyline and then finding the right medium to connect with the audience, be it consumer or brand.
Does this have to be the dedicated fulltime role for companies with limited head counts or budgets? No. it is an area in consulting that has to be consistent to be effective, but can be someone with an understanding but not a dedicated place. Where the person has to be is in a seat at the leadership table. Unlike sales, the storyteller may not have a dedicated line on a ledger sheet to define success. However one thing is for sire. If a company, a team, a league, a brand does not have a consistent story, they are behind in a fluid business environment. That lack of a story, can be deadly.
Whether you are building a company, evolving an existing brand, looking for funding, or just trying to make hay in a Starbucks, the ability to frame, meld, define, value, and re-tell the story is so important. Everyone…everyone…has the ability to cut through and stand out at some level, and sometimes finding the right title to gain a bit of a foothold, or start a conversation, is the best way to do it. We found it in the cards, literally. Each with a little nuance. No harm in that, it adds to the story.
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