Description
Book SynopsisHow to master the art of narrative leadership Telling the Story shows how leaders affect our understanding of what is possible and desirable through the stories they tell.
Trade ReviewWith Mead s experience running a narrative leadership consultancy, the book is an insightful contribution to the field of leadership. (Elite Business, May 2014) Mead s tips on how to speak clearly and honestly are as good as anything on the market, and this book is as rich and absorbing as the most compelling yarn. (People Management, June 2014) it does a good job of explaining how the language and metaphors that we use through the telling of stories can influence our actions, and change how we and others think about the world. (Talk Business, June 2014) This book sets out a solid foundation for the role and position of story-telling and weaves it into a modern narrative around leadership explaining how the oft-over-looked human elements of organizational leadership can be sustained through the sense-making of stories. (Developing Leaders, August 2014) an informative and interesting book for leaders and management consultants wanting to expand their horizons to include story and storytelling in their toolkits. (Facts & Fiction, August 2014)
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xiii Foreword xv
Introduction: Turning the Page 1
Narrative Leadership 2
Once Upon a Time 4
Why We Need New Stories 5
About This Book 8
Water on the Rock 10
SECTION ONE: FOUNDATIONS 13
Chapter 1: Why Stories Matter 15
Swimming in a Sea of Stories 15
Imagining Ourselves 18
Imagining Each Other 19
Imagining the World 21
Changing the Story 26
Bonus: Life of Pi 27
Summary 28
Chapter 2: Rethinking Leadership 31
Making Common Sense 33
Case Study: The Force Review 38
Conclusions 40
Bonus: Erin Brockovich 42
Summary 43
SECTION TWO: ON STORIES 45
Chapter 3: Stories in Our Bones 47
Logos: The Science of Storytelling 49
Mythos: The Story of Storytelling 53
Bonus: Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner 60
Summary 61
Chapter 4: The World of Stories 63
Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy 63
Finding the Plot 71
Bonus: Big Fish 74
Summary 74
Chapter 5: How Stories Work 77
Information, Argument, and Story 82
Bonus: An Inconvenient Truth 87
Summary 89
SECTION THREE: NARRATIVE LEADERSHIP 91
Chapter 6: The Art of Narrative Leadership 93
Vinoba Bhave 98
Developing Our Capacity to Lead 105
Bonus: Alchemy in Action 109
Summary 110
Chapter 7: Know Thyself 113
The Storied Self 114
Being and Doing 117
Bonus: Groundhog Day 127
Summary 128
Chapter 8: Only Connect 131
Creating Communicative Spaces 132
Listening to the Story 138
Conversation Matters 139
Whose Stories Count? 141
Bonus: Local Hero 144
Summary 145
Chapter 9: Stand for Something 147
Leading Minds 148
What Is Your Story? 152
Bonus: The Man from Hope 161
Summary 162
SECTION FOUR: STORYTELLING 165
Chapter 10: So You Want To Tell a Story 167
What Kinds of Story Work Best? 176
Where Do I Find Stories to Tell? 179
Bonus: Made in Dagenham 181
Summary 181
Chapter 11: A Good Story Well Told 183
Castles in the Air 195
Bonus: The Simple Shapes of Stories 197
Summary 197
Chapter 12: On Your Feet 199
Story Coaching 200
Introducing Stories 205
Holding their Attention 206
Making Sure You Can Be Heard 210
Finding the Right Language 212
Bonus: The King’s Speech 214
Summary 214
SECTION FIVE: TIME AND CHANGE 217
Chapter 13: Time and Narrative 219
Learning from the Past: The Told Story 222
Standing in the Present: The Unfolding Story 232
Shaping the Future: The Imagined Story 236
Bonus: The Insider 241
Summary 242
Chapter 14: Storytelling for a Change 245
Don’t Think of an Elephant 246
Empires of the Mind 251
Bonus: The Foresters 261
Summary 262
Chapter 15: Life in the Fast Lane 265
Modern, Post-modern, and Hypermodern 266
The Medium and the Message 270
Storytelling in a Global Village 272
Signs of the Times 275
Bonus: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room 282
Summary 283
SECTION SIX: BETWEEN STORIES 285
Chapter 16: Heart and Soul 287
Missing the Boat 289
Ambit and Ambition 292
Two Countries 296
Narrative Wreckage 299
Welcome to Wonderland 301
Bonus: Beasts of the Southern Wild 304
Summary 304
Appendix: Additional Resources 307
Index 311
