Several years ago, I was on a Delta Airlines flight to Chicago for business. As we approached the runway at O’Hare International Airport, the aircraft suddenly lurched hard to the left. I was seated over the left wing, and with momentary terror, I saw that wing come precariously close to the ground! In the next instant, the plane corrected its posture and slammed down hard, but safely on the tarmac. Most of my fellow passengers looked stunned…and then broke into spontaneous applause. I, too, clapped for the pilot. However, the man sitting next to me looked perturbed. “Isn’t he supposed to do that?,” he asked.
Today’s column is not about close calls or air travel. Rather, it is about how we define success. In that regard, success is generally defined by what we celebrate. On that day in Chicago, I celebrated being alive–and when I disembarked, I had the chance to personally thank the pilot. His skill in handling his aircraft in what was an unforeseen encounter with windshear saved many lives, including my own. And he provided me with a story that I have retold many times regarding professional competence.
Every business has such stories of competence, courage, and sacrifice that have the potential to form a powerful, inspiring culture. Unfortunately, too often, as leaders we miss the opportunity to memorialize those stories. Like my traveling companion, we too easily shrug off the significant performances of our teams by implying that they are “just supposed to do that.”
On the other hand, when your best moments are remembered, celebrated, published, and posted prominently, they can inspire your entire team to amazing action, behaviors, and outcomes.
There are six keys to becoming a highly effective story-sharing organization:
- Begin to actively seek the success stories of your team. Be purposely observant. When you discover these stories, don’t just recognize them, trumpet them! Several of my clients have decided to create a Wall of Fame in prominent areas of their facilities to post the photographs of outstanding employees, along with a brief description of what they had done. The posting was done with great fanfare whereby all employees shared in hearing the story and celebrating both the actions and the outcomes..
This is more than an “employee of the month” recognition. It effectively trumpets the type of performance that makes the company successful, and provides inspiration for all employees to add their own stories to that success.
- Look backward. What are the historic stories of how you got here? If you are just getting started on your own Wall of Fame, perhaps you can prime the pump by honoring the founders of the company, or even some personalities from world or national history that you have found to be inspiring. A great story about Abraham Lincoln might be used to inspire hard work, love of learning, humility, or other values that you desire in your enterprise.
- Consider the possibility of developing and publishing a book of compelling company stories. The late founder of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, developed a company “culture book,” that was a compilation of his employees ideas regarding their culture. This engaged everyone in the company in not only defining the culture, but also telling their personal experiences within the business. By sharing this book with new recruits, it became an important part of selecting the right people for the Zappos team.
- Think strategically. Ask yourself, How can we build on our history and our recent success stories to chart our future? How do these stories help us align with our purpose, mission, and values? Your answers to these questions will often help lead you to breakthrough innovations to your current strategies.
- With a clear sense of aligning your stories with desired outcomes, strategize how to operationalize your stories to inspire specific roles, actions, and behaviors in your organization. CEOs, especially, should use their “bully pulpit” to evangelize such performance.
- Sustain your progress. Make story creation and storytelling continual processes, not merely one-time or occasional events. Strive to make the recognition, publication, and celebration of your stories a central feature of your company culture.
When you employ these six keys, you will discover that storytelling in a corporate environment is a powerful tool for effective communication, building trust, inspiring employees, fostering innovation, and creating a shared organizational culture. It will help you create a more engaging and cohesive work environment, leading to improved employee engagement and satisfaction, greater productivity, and strong business outcomes.