Leadership & Storytelling Part 2 of Many

This is a continuation of the previous post. I am taking an extending look at leadership from a storytelling perspective. I am beginning by looking at eight key leadership behaviors. Then I will explore nine specific story-based communication skills critical for leaders. Be sure to check out my complimentary webinars in August with Shawn Callahan of Anecdote on leadership and storytelling. I'll add a description of the webinar at the end of this post.

2. Delegate

Distribution of work is a passive form of delegation and only scratches the surface of this management tool. Delegation also means sharing the baton of leadership. When leadership is shared, talents are maximized in an organization. People become more aware and willing to assume optional responsibilities, tasks, or initiatives that lie outside their work-defined domains. Delegated leadership results in team members who seek to maximize the use of their unique gifts and talents by dovetailing them to the organization’s current and future mission and objectives.

Everyone wears lots of hats, some of them better than others. We hope we have a good mix of talents and experiences on our team, but if we don’t we need to develop a strategy for diversifying that team. When delegation operates well within our team, people are proactive. People naturally gravitate to the things they do well. We have a responsibility to bring out the best in each other. We do not need to compete with each other. Recognize and enable the gifts of others. If a member of our team shines we all benefit. The spotlight can move from one contributor to the next. None of us has the full set of talents that will ensure the team’s success. Make a point of identifying the capabilities and strengths of everyone on the team. Enable people to take the initiative for deciding the best way to be an invaluable contributor to the team.


Practice

• During a staff meeting take a few minutes to ask everyone to write down strengths and skills that he or she has noticed and appreciated in other team members.


• Ask each person to make a note of how his or her strengths and skills complement those of others.


• Ask each person to write a list of things he or she currently does as part of the job that he or she could teach others to do.


Three Questions We Generally Get From Leaders About Storytelling: Reflections, Discussion & Tools

Are your leaders great storytellers? And, why should you care anyway?

With over forty years of combined experience, two of the world’s leading narrative consultants divulge some of what they have learned. Join Shawn Callahan of Anecdote and Terrence Gargiulo of MAKINGSTORIES.net for a 45-minute rousing interactive discussion rich with examples and practical tools.

I wonder…

Will you be as surprised as we were when we discovered the “Triple Threat,” of storytelling for leaders?

Find out the answers to the three questions we get asked the most. Prior to the event we'll share a white paper on leadership and storytelling. Following the webinar we'll send you a job aid that we use in our work. So give us the pleasure of your company and interact with your peers to take a nuanced but deep dive into the art and science of leadership through narrative.


TIMES & REGISTRATION LINKS:

Wednesday, August 12th, 12:30-1:15 (Australia, Eastern Standard Time)

Wednesday, August 19th, 12:30-1:15 (US, Pacific Standard Time)