Several years ago at a talk for a Call Center Training Institute in India, I was
asked by one of the participants, “Sir, What makes a perfect leader?”
The first thought that flashed through my mind was that the young gentleman
asking the question had not experienced life yet and, in response, a smile grew
on my face but I held the smile back and went through the images and the ideals of several leaders I had studied and read about.
Abraham Lincoln was good but yet he was assassinated. There was someone who wasn’t too happy with him thus Lincoln could not have been perfect. Mahatma Gandhi was known for his staunch authenticity and he helped free a nation but still some found him flawed and shot him too. Currently known and respected leaders also have had their ups and downs, and they too cannot be deemed to be“perfect.”
Our perceptions of leaders and the concept of leadership run the gamut of brave, strong, sensitive, democratic, visionary, action-oriented, creative,
constructive, transformative, situational, emotional leaders and more. Thus,
there is no perfect description or a theory about leaders and leadership. It is
like that story of six men who could not see the elephant but drew their
judgments based on what body part of the elephant they were able to touch.
The one who held the trunk of the elephant thought the elephant was like a big
fat-water hose, the one who touched the elephants leg thought it to be like a
tree trunk and the others thought the elephant was a rope, a wall, a horn,
and a fan depending on what body part they were able to touch or grasp.
Now the descriptions of leadership may be diverse, and sometimes downright
ambiguous, but the tools of practicing leadership are limited and many a time
well defined. Tools such as active listening, clear imaging, creative planning,
awareness, action and the science behind inspirational storytelling come quite
handy to affect the acts of leadership. Through fables, parables, anecdote and
corporate storytelling, leaders can put across, quite quickly, hard to comprehend
concepts. Through story telling leaders can heal broken hearts and inspire
their armies. Through storytelling leaders can catalyze change and inspire
action and excellent performance. Through story, leaders can help the world
realize and understand truth.
The power behind storytelling is best highlighted by this little folk tale from
Israel.
Once upon a time, a long time ago there lived these two beautiful women in Israel. Their beauty was legendary and the people of Israel loved them both immensely.
One day, as is normal for all celebrities, these two beauties became insecure
and uncertain about their beauty and about their status in life. So out they
walked on the high streets of Jerusalem to see if they still drew any attention
and applause. On the streets, the bolder of the two stepped up and ahead of the
other in all her glory but nobody even glanced at her. “That is impossible.”
she thought and became a bit more bolder[excuse the grammar] and marched onto
the streets clicking her heels. This time, at her brashness, people turned their
faces away in disgust. She was devastated and in response, in her boldest form
ever, she stomped down the streets of Jerusalem again. People
ran into their homes and slammed shut their doors in her face.
Heartbroken and in deep shame, she swore never to expose herself again.
The other beauty, meanwhile, put on her best multi-colored coat, stuck some flowers in her hat and bells in her anklets and swung out onto the street with her purse. She waved at strangers, smiled at the Rabbis and laughed with the kids at play on the streets. The people of Jerusalem fell all over her. “Beautiful! Lovely! Celestial!” they all shouted. She was one with them and one of them!
The secret was that there was really no difference in how they both looked. What
really set them apart was the fact that the first one was called Truth and the
second one’s name was Story.
When leaders, for influence, use stories five things happen .Stories;
ACTIVATE the WHOLE BRAIN
Though we all use the whole brain in all we do but there tends to be, because of years of training and programming, a tendency towards left-brain domination in our interactions. When faced with a story our left brain dominance takes a back seat and our interactions become holistic and easy.
SEEP through CEREBRAL DEFENSES
For reasons similar to the previous point and for reasons of self protection we tend to ward off with logic anything that is new and unknown to us. When faced with a story our conscious and more cognitive mind draws back its analytical claws allowing new ideas and information to be exchanged with lesser resistance than normal.
INVOKE CREATIVITY and INCLUSIVENESS
Upon hearing stories our mind assumes it’s going to play and have fun… and this invokes creativity and a desire to participate. The right brain moves in and views the proceedings from a bird’s viewpoint. There is fun and lightness in this whole-brain approach and makes the listener much more participative because he feels part of the story forming and creation.
CATALYZE RAPPORT and ACTION
Since whole-hearted participation is not just a mental thing, stories also rouse us into wanting to do something, to model the heroes in the stories we hear and perform other acts of courage. Stories also, because of their playful nature generate laughter and, Daniel Goleman in his book The Primal Leader claims, laughter nurtures the open loop nature of man. Stories thus build rapport amongst players at work and catalyze action and teamwork.
ANCHOR Ideas and Values into our EMOTIONS for LIFE
Stories, intrinsically and essentially, highlight strengths, positivism and idealism thus firming up old and new values to make us emotionally strong. Through storytelling all concepts and facts anchor themselves into our emotional brain and in our long-term memories.
Thus, effective leaders, teachers, trainer, mentors and coaches know and recognize the power of storytelling and usually deliver, hard to digest truths in the form of a story.
