Tag Archives: Storytelling

Thanksgiving Far From Home

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Here we are, Thanksgiving Day is here in America.    Time for family, football and turkey.  

As I think back on my memory of this holiday, I remember once when I celebrated Thanksgiving far from home.  I was on an extended trip through Egypt after graduating college.  On the day of Thanksgiving back home I would be on a train leaving Cairo heading to Luxor.  

I did not expect to have a Thanksgiving meal at all.   I would be served dinner in my cabin, dining alone.  So no family, football or turkey.   I was content though as this trip was wonderous.  For me Egypt was mesmerizing with its warm and welcoming  people and truly spectacular sites. 

Yet, this meal far from home turned out to be a wonderful story of Thanksgiving.  

When my meal arrived I was surprised to see turkey and various side dishes.    I asked and was told that the meal choice was just chance.  Maybe no family or football, but turkey made it Thanksgiving for me.  I was thousands of miles from home and I would have my own private Thanksgiving.

Yet, I knew Turkey alone would not be enough to make this a special meal.   I thought of the other folks I met on my trip and remembered an older gentleman who was also traveling to Luxor on the same train.  I knew he was travelling alone, so I grabbed my tray and went in search of his cabin. 

I found him and asked if he wanted a dinner partner, a fellow American far from home.   He was enthusiastic and invited me to join him.   I was still young and had few stories to tell.  He though had a lifetime of stories.  He lost his wife a year before and he was traveling the world experiencing all her wonders.  

I was a California boy and he was from Minnesota.  I found myself as amazed by his stories growing up in Minnesota as I was experiencing in Egypt.   His travel stories were full of color and spirit.  We talked for hours.

Today, I look back on that night and the wonderful Thanksgiving meal.   I was not with family, just another person travelling through life.   He inspired me to hold my sense of wonder. 

Thinking back on that Thanksgiving night so many years ago, I am thankful that I still have a sense of wonder of the world we all share.   We are travellers together, you and me. 

Let’s tell each other our stories. 

Indeed WeMoveTogether.

Living in a Vision

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While planning to post on one topic yesterday I heard an amazing speech given by Chuck Pagano to his team after a victory in the NFL (American Professional Football).  As such I lost my momentum for one topic and found a new topic to ponder.

I know many people follow sports and many do not.  I love sports of all kinds.   Over time I realized that sport, for me, is storytelling.  There is drama, heroes, and moments that stand alone and change the outcome.   All of it leads to a conclusion … and end of our story.   As always with a good story, there are lessons for those willing to listen.

So I listen to the story of Chuck Pagano. 

So who is Chuck Pagano?  He is the first year coach of the Indianapolis Colts.   Last year they were the worst team in the league.   His job is to turn it around. 

Ah, our story unfolds.  Coach Pagano was diagnosed before the season with Leukemia and must undergo full-time treatment.  No football coaching allowed.  Time to focus on health.  His coaches take over while he watches from afar.   No doubt he remains involved though. 

His team is inspired by their coach and his fight.  So far this season the team is playing well and they may make the playoffs.   Of course many experts thought the team would still struggle and remain at the bottom.   The groundwork for a powerful story indeed. 

Yesterday was the first day the coach was able to remain at the stadium for the full game (watching from the owner’s box).  He spoke briefly to the team before the game and then in more detail after the game.  The team won in an inspired fashion. 

Below is both the video and the transcript of what coach Pagano said to his team.  This will stick with me for a long time just like any great story. 

His words, as with a great story, paint a picture and show how a leader can truly move people to reach goals that some think unattainable.  As the coach says, “Live in a vision … refuse to live in circumstances.”   

This story is not over.  I will continue to turn the pages and see how our hero works through the challenges set forth before him.  Like any story I want a happy ending – indeed for Coach Pagano, good health and a speedy recovery.  The world of sport and society in general need leaders like you.

“I mentioned before the game that you guys were living in a vision and you weren’t living in circumstances. Because you know where they had us in the beginning. Every last one of them. But you refused to live in circumstances and you decided consciously, as a team, and as a family, to live in a vision. And that’s why you bring things home like you brought home today. That’s why you’re already champions, and well on your way. I got circumstances. You guys understand it. I understand it. It’s already beat. It’s already beat. My vision that I’m living, see two more daughters getting married, dancing at their weddings, and then hoisting that Lombardi several times and watch that confetti fall on this fucking group right here. Several times, we’re going to hoist that baby. I’m dancing at two more weddings. And we’re hoisting that trophy together man. Congratulations.”

Raised By Wolves

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 In my last post I looked at the full cosmos to focus and gain perspective.  One can not observe space and the cosmos without thinking about time.  To look at the stars is to be a time traveler.  Thousands of years ago light from a distant star pointed toward Earth and reached out to me as I look to the sky.

Today I am thinking about my own life and origin.  We all have an origin story, unique and ours.

A bit of inward time travel if you will - how I was raised and the influences in my life.  As I focus on leadership I can not forget the influence of my origin story on my unique brand of leadership.  We work to create models, best practices and programs that show us the way of the effective leader.  While all this is important, let us not forget the unique expression each of us brings to our leadership.

The title of this post, Raised By Wolves, refers to my upbringing where I was heavily influences by my father and his coworkers.   My father was a Police Officer (now happily retired) and those he worked with were more than coworkers … they were brothers, they were family.   As a young kid, teenager, and early in my work career I was nearly always around my father’s extended family in the police department.

There were gatherings, celebrations, difficult times, and simple days when I just hung out with these men.   As I got older I worked at an Athletic and Social Club for Police Officers that my father founded.   I witnessed first hand how these men and women interacted and lead their lives.   Over time it became clear that I would not grow up to be one of them.  My path involved college and eventually a business career.  Nonetheless, my white-color bleeds blue and I am grateful for the way I was raised and the Police Officers who shaped me.

Here are some items I learned from my “family of wolves” that has influenced me as a leader:

  • Family and Community - Police Officers act as family and maintain a strong community.   I had many favorite uncles, none of whom were related to me.  Why not the same for our work environments – a stronger sense of community and yes, even family.
  • History and Stories – With Police Officers there is a strong sense of history and the generations who came before.  They want to remember and pass on hard learned lessons to the next generation.  A Police Officer has a difficult job these days which is often thankless.  They learn from each other and through their stories, they understand how to do their job and carry on the history.  I talked about it before – the importance of story, legacy and history for our leadership practice.
  • Be Prepared and Ready to React -  Police officers are not proactive beings.  Nonetheless, they are ready.  They practice often for many scenarios.  They go to work each day ready to react to the circumstances they face.  Yes, sometimes they make poor decisions, but far more often they make important and correct decisions under difficult circumstances.   In business we focus on being proactive.  Alas, this ideal does not always work out and at times we need to react to a situation.  A true leader while focused on the proactive, will be ready to react as necessary.  In fact it is how we are ultimately judged.  Yes, he was a strong proactive leader, but when needed he also reacted quickly, with authority and saved the day.
  • Take Corners Wide – This tip has always stuck with me.  When chasing a bad guy down the street always take the corner wide when turning as he may be waiting right around the corner to ambush you.    In business we have our own versions of the ambush – unknown and difficult issues right around the corner.   With confidence we do our own version of charging around the blind corner.  Remember to take it wide and be ready for anything.

That is my story.  As you read this think of your own story.  Be a time traveler and go back to check your influences.   Let us not forget how each of us is unique as a person, as a leader.

Tell Me a Story

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English: Wooden seat sculpture, Harehope Quarr...
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“Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we’re all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.” — Alan Kay (VP Walt Disney Company)

Storytelling defines people as … well, people.  Before the written word there were stories to pull people together within a common understanding.  With my focus on the history of people through Anthropology, I sometimes wonder if we have forgotten more than we have learned.  The power of storytelling is one such item that seems lost in our modern business environment.  We use written communication through email, instant messages, text messages, tweets, Facebook entries, and yes … through our blogs.

We overuse PowerPoint as a communication tool to provide information vs. talking and telling a story to truly reach people in the audience.  So many business leaders would do themselves some good if they turned off the PowerPoint presentation and connecting with their audience through telling a good and insightful story.  While senior business managers may not want to build an emotional connection with their audience, I say that is exactly what they need to do.  Storytelling at its best builds an emotional connection with the audience that gives it lasting power.  We simply remember stories.

When you tell a story assure you have it well thought out.  You need to have structure as in a good start, the middle and a memorable ending.  As we listen to your story we may not know where it is going, but when you get there … wow, we get it and see the point.  Your meaning is clear and you touched the audience as a leader.

Storytelling is a verb.  There needs to be action through your words and your movement.  Stand up and move into the group or audience listening to your story.  Your storytelling needs to come from all of your being, not just the voice.  Use your body movement and emphasize key points through how you move your hands and even pause and stop speaking for a few moments.  When you re-engage your audience, you have them at the edge of their seats.

As a leader one of the most powerful stories you can tell is “This is who I am.  I want to tell you my story”.  Even more powerful for the leader is “Who are you? Tell me your story”.  This is a powerful leadership practice to get to know more about those you lead and find common ground (it is always there) and a means to work together and move forward.

The next time you as a leader need to reach out to your employees and gain focus on an opportunity or even dealing with an adversity, find your story to tell.

Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   The power of storytelling gets you there to the deeper connection with people.  Storytelling has been part of humanity from the beginning.  Let’s assure as leaders we keep it alive today and as we move forward together.