Change the Stories, Change the Culture...‘the modern world’ for over 40,000 years. Their language, customs, spirituality and laws were all handed down using stories, dances, myths

Change the Stories, Change the Culture

Change The Stories, Change The BehaviourStories are our oldest technology. Since Homo Sapiens first sat around campfires eating roast mammoth, we’ve been using stories to share learning and create meaning for the world around us. Stories help us feel a part of something larger than ourselves, give us a sense of purpose, and smuggle beliefs and information into our brains in an emotive and memorable way. In other words, they’re naturally viral.

1C H A N G E T H E S T O R I E S , C H A N G E T H E C U L T U R E

Throughout history, humans have used stories to make sense of the unknown and create meaning in their lives. We will never know exactly when storytelling started and how it evolved, but we do know that:

Stories carry culture. In 1770 Captain Cook claimed Australia for the British Empire. The colonists were amazed to discover that the Aboriginal Australians enjoyed a rich and incredibly complex society despite being left untouched by ‘the modern world’ for over 40,000 years. Their language, customs, spirituality and laws were all handed down using stories, dances, myths and legends.

Stories build civilisations. From monarchy to money, law to politics, every social structure we know is essentially just a story a group of humans choose to believe. In his best-selling book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, the historian Yuval Noah Harari writes: “Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths. Any large-scale human cooperation – whether a modern state, a medieval church, an ancient city or an archaic tribe – is rooted in common myths that exist only in people’s collective imagination.”

B L U E S K Y2


We’re story-making machines. In psychology, apophenia is the perception of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated things. Human brains are pattern-detectors, fine-tuned to uncover relationships among the barrage of sensory inputs we face. Without such meaning-making, we would be unable to make predictions about survival and reproduction. It’s our evolutionary super-power.

Evolution has wired our brains for storytelling and this unique skill has played a crucial role in our ascent to the top of the food chain. It has shaped our societies, civilisations and cultures – and still does today.

Storytelling has evolved over time. The earliest stories are likely to have emerged as tribal gossip around the campfire, where rumours and unwritten rules (“Where on earth did Bob get all that food?”) proved to be powerful information-sharing and civilising tools. These stories developed into art (around 30,000 years ago we found cave art depicting a hunt); then music (Aboriginal tribes used music and dance to bring their tales to life); and eventually written literature (early legends, such as the story of Gilgamesh quickly evolved into rules and law).

Now, we’re enjoying a new era of digital storytelling, from TV and radio to social media and AR.

B L U E S K Y4

Storytelling is viral. One reason storytelling is so compelling is because it creates neural coupling in our brains. Uri Hasson, a Professor of Neuroscience at Princeton, reports: “When we tell stories to others that have really helped us shape our thinking and way of life, we can have the same effect on them too. The brains of the person telling a story and listening to it can synchronise.”

Storytelling feels great. In 2014, Harvard Business Review (HBR) reported research showing how storytelling changes our hormones: “By taking blood draws before and after the narrative, we found that character-driven stories do consistently cause oxytocin synthesis. Further, the amount of oxytocin released by the brain predicted how much people were willing to help others; for example, donating money to a charity associated with the narrative.”


Stories matter! A great way to inspire people to change the way they think and behave is through stories. People have been telling stories for centuries as a way of passing ideas on. Humans are creatures of meaning, and storytelling has played a massive role in how and why we’ve evolved. From the first hieroglyphic myths created around 30,000 years ago to the best practices shared within tribes when the agricultural revolution hit, stories have long been our species’ superpower. Storytelling is both pleasurable and contagious, encouraging empathy and triggering pleasure hormones in our brains. It’s social glue.

However, too many organisations forget to pay attention to their stories. Rather than crafting clear narratives that carry their values and spread the behaviours they want to see, they let a whole army of rumours and half-truths take hold. These demotivating folktales colonise the minds of their people and dictate how they behave. If you want to change an organisation, you must first change its stories. But to do that, you need to know what stories you want to tell in the first place. You also need to understand how to make positive, persuasive storytelling an everyday behaviour in your business. It isn’t easy, but it’s the most powerful performance tool you have.

How many times have you been enthralled by a good story? Maybe you stayed up late to read a novel that you couldn’t put down, or watched a movie that you couldn’t switch off? Perhaps you pushed yourself harder because you heard a story about a colleague’s success, or you changed your opinion after reading a distressing story in a newspaper?

Stories can change the way we think, act, and feel. They can form the foundations of an entire workplace culture, and they have the power to break down barriers and turn bad situations around. Stories can capture our imaginations, illustrate our ideas, arouse our passions, and inspire us in a way that cold, hard facts often can’t. Stories can be powerful business tools, and successful leaders use them to engage their teams. So, if you want to motivate others effectively, you need to learn how to tell a good story.

Having a great business plan and vision statement isn’t enough if your people are not enveloped and carried along in a blanket of meaning as to why what they do matters and why they are doing it. You need a great story to tap into the hearts and minds of people.


B L U E S K Y8

Find your ‘WHYfi’ In his book ‘Drive – The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us’, Dan Pink shares his belief that the carrot and stick approach is no longer effective in driving motivation. In fact, drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, he states that “The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world”. He identifies having a sense of purpose as one of those key intrinsic motivators. We all yearn to do something larger than ourselves. Frankly, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone anymore when they hear that a sense of purpose matters more than a massive pay cheque when it comes to getting people to do good work.

But it does. It is still very hard for leaders to believe that a sense of purpose is more real than pounds and pence to the human brain, but overcoming this bias is essential if you are to get control of your climate. Purpose is the ‘invisible electricity’ that powers people at work - human ‘WhyFi’, if you will. The problem is, it only electrifies when it’s really felt.

We want to know that we are part of something. We don’t want to be just sticking things together in a dark room; we want to know that our small cog in the overall machine makes a difference. We like to know we are part of a bigger team, that what we are doing is something that makes a difference to people’s lives out there in the world, and that what we spend the majority of our waking hours doing eventually has a positive impact on someone. It makes it all worthwhile.

9

This focus on purpose is supported by Deloitte’s 2015 study of more than 7,800 millennials, which found that for six in 10 millennials, a “sense of purpose,” is part of the reason they chose to work for their current employers. This number rises to 77% for those with relatively high social networking use. Thinking about your frontline teams, how many of them would fall into the millennial category? I’m going to guess quite a lot.

As humans, whether we’re millennials, generation X or beyond, we all need to be inspired and motivated to change or excel. The relevance and importance of this in a business context is brilliantly articulated by the work of Simon Sinek and his theory of the ‘golden circle’ and why you must ‘start with why’. Simon’s theory is that most leaders and organisations focus on what they do and how they do it, neglecting the why, the inside of the golden circle. They’re working from the outside in. Inspiring leaders and companies communicate from the inside out. As Simon puts it “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it… what you do serves as the proof of what you believe”.

C H A N G E T H E S T O R I E S , C H A N G E T H E C U L T U R E

Compelling stories enable behavioural changeThe McKinsey research into change management also found that you’re 3.7 times more likely to succeed on a change journey if you have a clear and compelling story that people can attach themselves to, so telling tales is key to creating a revolution you can buy in to. Once you’ve clearly defined your why, build stories around the meaning so that your people can get their heads around what you are trying to achieve, use metaphors and real-life examples that people can personally relate to.

In research by McKinsey they found leaders tell two types of stories to inspire their teams. The first, the turnaround story, runs along the lines of “We’re performing below industry standard and must change dramatically to survive—incremental change is not sufficient to attract investors to our underperforming company.” The second, the good-to-great story goes something like this: “We are capable of far more, given our assets, market position, skills, and loyal staff, and can become the undisputed leader in our

industry for the foreseeable future.” The problem with both approaches is that the story centres on the company, and that will inspire some but by no means all employees. The research showed that four other sources give individuals a sense of meaning, including their ability to have an impact on:

1. Society—for example, making a better society, building the community, helping people’s relationship at home flourish

2. The customer—for instance, making life easier and providing a human service

3. The team—for instance, a sense of belonging, a caring environment, or working together efficiently and effectively, building a safe and high trust climate

4. Themselves—examples include personal development, a sense of empowerment, worthwhile work, reducing stress

B L U E S K Y10

B L U E S K Y12

Clarity - craft the right story to create a clear, compelling sense of purpose for your organisationA good story is like a recipe – certain “ingredients” need to be part of the mix for it to be a success. Here are some tips for how to build a compelling story for change.

Crafting the story structure

• It’s a changing world. What changes are impacting us? e.g. trust, customer expectations, regulation, information accessibility, competitive landscape

• Where are we now?

• Where are we going? (What are we trying to achieve in terms of the big intent, the vision, the why?)

• What can you expect from us to support you in living and breathing the new behaviours?

• What will it bring? – for customers, for you, for us, for business

• Be passionate and positive (of course!)


Nail your chapter headlinesEach chapter includes a headline and three bullet points. Each point begins with a 2-5 word statement and then fleshes out that statement in one or two further sentences. The five chapters alone should make up a compelling story. They can be hard to pin down, because they force you to articulate exactly what you’re saying at each stage.

• What is the biggest change in this landscape?

• How would you encapsulate your current situation in one sentence?

• What’s the overall theme that links what your people are being asked to do?

• Think of newspaper headlines – what one urgent, emotive, attention-grabbing sentence gets to the heart of what each chapter is about?

Example chapterIt’s a changing world. Unhappy workplaces no longer cut it.

People’s expectations have shifted. Over the past decade, the workforce has profoundly changed. We’re empowered, outspoken and independent, and we will no longer put up with being dictated to, undervalued or ignored.

We want to work for aspirational companies. In a competitive market, organisations are fighting over the best talent -and the talent is choosing to work for the ones that are creative, flexible, and truly committed to doing good.

If organisations don’t stay relevant, they collapse. Disruption is everywhere; skills, jobs and customer demands are shifting at lightning pace. The only way for businesses to survive is to stay agile and change with their people.

Build your bullet pointsOn the next level down, it’s really easy to repeat the same point across multiple bullets, so make sure every point is specific and different.

An easy way to check this is to see if you’ve used the same word (fast, technology, agile, permission) more than once.

If you’re struggling to keep a point short, you may be trying to make two points in one, so separate them out.

Be like GoldilocksTwo common mistakes people make when telling their story; They say too much. Or they say too little. And sometimes they do both simultaneously.

Follow the “Goldilocks” theory of details. Give us “just the right amount.” If you give too many details, we get lost, or worse, bored. Once you’ve written your story, start editing. Less is more.

When you’re done editing, ask yourself if there’s one less point you can make and still deliver your message. Once you get to a point where you can’t take anything else out and still tell a story that delivers your message effectively, then you’re done editing.


B L U E S K Y16

Be as direct as possibleDon’t try to sound like Harvard Business Review and hide behind business jargon.

Imagine you’re reading your story to a friend who has nothing to do with the industry.

Would they understand what you mean? Would they laugh at how stiff and pompous you sound?

Your story has to be as simple and direct as possible if it’s going to stick in people’s minds. Use short sentences and avoid clichés, but the odd colloquialism (yep, honestly), down-to-earth metaphor (in the trenches, lip service) and emotive word (love, hate) is fine.

Use thesaurus.comNOT to find lots of fancy words so you can say the same thing in multiple ways, or make yourself look ‘clever.’

But if you’re struggling to find the exact word to encapsulate what you mean, it can help to type in the closest you currently have and scan your options, in case you can get that bit more specific.

thesaurus.com

Ask: Is this honest?If you feel like you’re just writing a load of corporate justification with no bearing on the actual reality you’re working in, stop. Think. Challenge yourself. Are you really being honest about the status quo, or are you trying to soften the blow?

Are some of the actions you’re asking your people to do going to be hard, and do you need to acknowledge that? Are you exaggerating for effect? Are you underplaying because it sounds scary? Tweak until you’re 100% committed to the truth of what you’re writing, or they’ll just come across as hollow words.

Ask: Does this excite me?You’re trying to influence people here; you should feel genuinely excited about your big ambition and the effect it’s going to have.

And that excitement should sing through your words -not by using lots of overblown adjectives (inspiring! empowered! brilliant!) but by laying out your vision in the simplest, boldest, most heartfelt way.

Twitter pitchIf you really want to get maximum clarity, try summarising your entire story in one hashtag, as if it was a marketing campaign.

What revolution are you trying to inspire in your people? What’s the essence of the change you’re trying to make or the result you want to achieve?

From #CXmakeiteasyto #makeithuman, if you can condense your story into a memorable phrase, it’ll help clarify the rest.


B L U E S K Y18

If you get stuck…It’s not usually because you can’t find the right phrasing; it’s because you’re still not 100% clear on what you’re trying to say. Go back.

Do you need more information on any of the chapters – maybe some stats? Do you need to get sharper on exactly what outcomes you’re aiming for – can you quantify them? Do you need to do some further work on defining what makes your proposition stand out from the competition?

Most writing problems are actually thinking problems. Get your story straight in your head, and the words should flow.

Telling the story

• Personalise it – it needs to mean something to you and your people

• Be human, believable and authentic

• Don’t hide behind a script or a slide deck

• Paint a vivid word picture – give detail and background

• Share how you felt before, during and after your own event

• Consider what would be motivational to the person you’re talking to

• Remember – your people will mirror your passion and energy, so bring lots to the journey

The problem is that many organisations don’t know how to make their employees feel a sense of meaning or purpose. “Inspirational visions, along the lines of Walt Disney’s ‘make people happy’ or Google’s ‘organise the world’s information,’ have little relevance if you produce ball bearings or garage doors,” As an alternative, tell stories that touch not only on internal workings of the company but also on the broader beneficial effects of the business on society, the customer and the employee.


Stories travel like wildfire. Create the wrong story and it can break trust and take a long time to recover from. In the absence of a story, myths and legends quickly become viral. “Did you hear John said we can only spend 3 minutes on the phone, or we will get in trouble”. It is the leader’s role to dispel these myths. Leadership stories can get inside people’s minds, hearts and affect how they think, worry, wonder, agonise and dream about themselves and in the process create – and recreate – their organisation.

In 1990, Elizabeth Newton, a psychology graduate at Stanford University did a study based on a game called ‘tappers’ and ‘listeners’. She would assign the role of tapper or listener to her study participants and then ask the tappers to tap out the rhythm of a well-known song. Listeners were then asked to identify the song from the taps. When asked having completed their ‘rendition’ to predict whether their listener would be able

to guess the song, they predicted a 50% success rate. However, out of 120 songs only 3 were correctly identified, a success ratio of just 2.5%. So what was going on? Try tapping out Happy Birthday on your desk; it is impossible not to hear the tune in your head, but all anyone listening would hear is a series of random taps. The tappers were suffering from the curse of knowledge; once you know something it is impossible to imagine not knowing it.

Having a compelling purpose is not enough, you must find a meaningful way to communicate it to others so that it is more than just a series of random taps. In the business world, managers and employees, marketers and customers, corporate headquarters and the front line all rely on ongoing communication but suffer from enormous information imbalances, just like the tappers and listeners.


B L U E S K Y22

Change won’t happen simply because of creating a story. You have to bring the story to life. Leaders need to live by the words, only through your behaviour and actions will people start to believe and hope. When people start to sense this is real and you are really committed to changing the climate people work in, the magic will start to happen. The minute people sniff a fraud, or leaders actions and behaviours contradict the message trust will be broken. Re-building trust and creating the energy again from this place will be hard. You have to be fully committed to your story, believe in it and make it happen.

Find your own story, figure out what is your purpose. Connect people to the ‘why’. Tell the story with passion and enthusiasm every single day. If you’re doing it right you should start to feel like a stuck record! Let your people know that they will be fully supported from the top and this is not a fad. Allow people to voice any fears and anxiety. Create energy, curiosity and excitement about the change ahead. Show vulnerability, it is OK not to have all the answers and that you may make mistakes along the way. People will trust you if your intent is right and you walk the talk.

Top tips Be the author of your own story – All of us are living out our own personal stories every day. Everything we experience and the decisions we make are interpreted through this lens and whether we see things as conflicting with, or supportive of, our unfolding story. This lens has a huge impact on the places we choose to work and the way we choose to approach it.

Be authentic – For a story to make an impact it must ring true. That’s why personal stories are so powerful. We know them. We’ve lived them. They are our stories. Does it mean that we can never tell stories about others? Of course not. But the story has to touch us in some way if it is to touch people. In our “increasingly shiny world of spin”, it is essential to keep in mind what makes something feel authentic. Don’t try to be something you aren’t. Stay true and be real, and people will respond with enthusiasm and passion.


B L U E S K Y24

Repaint the story – Just because you have told the story it does not mean people have heard it or understood it. Great leaders will re-tell the story and re-paint it continually. They coach others to tell the story in their own authentic way. They check in with people to see if they have understood the message, dispelling any myths along the way.

Role model – How many times have you heard “Leaders in this business just pay lip service to customer service, saving money is more important”. Many leaders are not proximate to their people so don’t even hear these stories, or they choose to ignore them and some even contribute to them. It is important to stand by your story – if it is “Customers really matter to us” and then you tell your people to rush off the phone due to service levels below low, guess what people won’t believe you. It is only through actions people start believing the story.

Shift and reframe – Great leaders also recognise that not everyone is going to be waxing lyrical about the direction of travel and they are skilled in shifting and reframing cynicism. Meaning Makers dispel the myths and legends that arise and impact how connected people feel. They create a movement of followers who are truly connected to the work they do.

The End Great leaders recognise this and are fanatical about creating meaning for people. They do this regardless of the company they work for; you don’t have to be a doctor to find meaning in the work people do! In the great companies, leaders build and cascade their compelling story. Not just the ‘what and how’, but the ‘WHY’.

Connecting people to the why the company exists is something greater than just the task and this makes people feel the job they do is purposeful.


B L U E S K Y2 8

The Old Malt House33 The StreetShalfordGuildfordSurreyGU4 8BU

t. +44 (0)1483 739400e. [email protected]

Ready to rock?At Blue Sky we are passionate about people development and changing behaviour to drive results. In a world where change is a constant, we help our customers create organisational clarity around what’s happening, build a climate for people to be successful and develop truly customer focused conversations to deliver improved business outcomes.

Documents

Change the Stories, Change the Culture...‘the modern world’ for over 40,000 years. Their language, customs, spirituality and laws were all handed down using stories, dances, myths