The 5 Most Evocative Story Types Every Leader Should Use
Do you ever have that dream where you’re on a stage, ready to deliver a motivational speech to your team, you’re chalk full of confidence, then your speech falls flat, and everyone walks out shaking their head thinking “ugh, I need to find a new job?” Whew! That one makes me sweat. It happens all the time, most often because that person, that leader, up on stage, leans heavily on sharing company goals and tasks to motivate their people. (Snore!)
Sure, that may work for a hot sec, then that CEO or VP or leader of whatever division will see their retention and satisfaction tank. Why? Because we spend 1/3 of our lives working, and now, more than ever, people see being connected to the mission and values of a company as a necessity, not a nicety. So leaders need to know how to galvanize people, and provoke a sense of belonging and motivation in each team member.
How do you do that? With magnetic, evocative and symbolic storytelling.
By using storytelling, you will give your team permission to believe in you and mission. If they care about you, they will be your advocate, and help drive your mission forward.
This gives you, as the leader, social power. With social power, you can persuade your team to do virtually anything.
The question remains: what types of stories are appropriate, and meaningful in a business context? Here are the most compelling story types (aka plot lines), each one evoking a different emotional reaction (the goal). Use them wisely.
The 5 Most Evocative Story Types Leaders Should Use
Overcoming The Monster: These can show how the founder, CEO, or leader overcame the challenge they faced that was life/career threatening. These stories agitate the sense of anger over being mistreated (most of us have felt that at one time or another), and get teams on your side to keep fighting the proverbial monster.
Rags To Riches: These stories highlight a humble beginning, then an event that motivated the leader to use their natural talents to change something and arrive at a successful outcome. These stories elicit an empathic response, a desire to be part of something big, growing, and impactful. They can also be inspiring and motivate others to work hard to achieve their superpower. NOTE: Don’t use this if it is not truly authentic. Your team will run the other way.
Quest: This is where the hero finds him/herself on a mission toward a goal, then gets knocked off course multiple times by unexpected obstacles, but gets back on course with determination. These stories can provoke a feeling of “me too,” or “I’ll help!”
Origin: Origin stories are powerful, and should be used constantly, for entrepreneurs. They provide context, reasons and a backstory to why the company/founder is where they are today. These stories can act as inspiration and connection to the direction of the company. Plus, people are always curious about why something was started, not just what they started, so be sure to include that.
Rebirth: Rebirth stories have a success/failure/success pattern. Here, the leader goes from a strong beginning, then withstands a series of unfortunate events (sometimes self inflicted), then rises again with a new understanding of the world. These stories elicit a sense of optimism and trust, that second chances are for those who work for it, and can connect a team to a reinvigorated sense of momentum.
The key for all story types is that your audience, your team, must know that they share your same values, beliefs, hopes, dreams and fears. If they can see themselves in the scenario the leader experienced, they will empathize, and find drive from within that feeling.
Need help architecting your story? Reach out! We have a proven framework that will help you extract the most compelling aspects of your story, then map it for the greatest level of connection to your audience, team, and customers. We can also set up an hour consultation to give you feedback on what you’re currently using, and how to pump it up to be more effective and persuasive.
