What's Your Company's Story?

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

In his book, "Generating Buy-In", Mark Walton proposes that companies and their leaders who are successful at generating their staff's buy-in, are also successful at telling strategic stories. Not only do they tell these stories to their staff, they tell them to the public also in order to generate consumer or customer buy-in.

Today, as I was discussing this with an executive who is in my Coaching Program, it dawned on me that she was not clear on the importance of capturing and articulating her company's story. As I thought about this, I reflected on many of the other executives whom I am currently coaching. I could probably count on one hand the number of those individuals who recognize the critical nature of this issue.

Arguably, the most powerful story that is being told today is that of the historic individual who has had the 'best brand' for two thousand years: Jesus Christ. Every Sunday... and throughout the week... in villages, suburbs, towns and cities across the world... his story is the one which predominates from the pulpit to the airwaves, from the street corners to the world-wide web.

And so it has been with successful individuals and companies in every field of endeavor.

When Barack Obama decided that he was going to run for the Presidency of the United States, he realized that he was just another 'wanna-be'... but he was an unknown 'wanna be'. So he wrote three books to introduce himself to the American electorate and to the world: Dreams of My Father; The Audacity of Hope; and, Change We Can Believe In. In these books, he told his story. And the rest is, well... his-story.

In his story, he branded himself to the words 'hope' and 'change' as he told the story of his life and of his dreams. These are forever etched in our memories and in our psyche. What did the American public do? What did the world do? We bought in! We elevated him!

So as I reflected on the people in my coaching program, I recognized that each of them worked for companies that had very powerful elements in their stories: how they started on a shoe string budget; the vision of the entrepreneurs who started the company; the struggle for survival and the great challenges along the way; the various ways that the company is successful today; how the company is positioning itself today - to deal with the challenges tomorrow; the types of leaders that the company is looking for today in order to carry on the legacy of the founders... These are themes that are common to all of these executives' companies.

And yet, if I ask some of these leaders or aspiring leaders, I know that many would not be able to respond because they are not clear about their company's story.

So, how can they be clear about the future story of their company... the one that they should be working to design and build? How will they fit the future into the past? What are they building on?

One of the critical factors highlighted by Walton in his book, is the fact that successful leaders use their company's compelling stories to inspire, uplift and motivate their staff to do more - and do more better - to beat the competition and leave them in the dust!

Therefore, if executives don't know the history... or the company's story, and if they know it but don't use it, they are missing or neglecting a crucial tool in their leadership tool box.

Starting today, I am tasking all of the executives that I coach in thinking about, developing and writing down their company's story! They will do so in a form that is inspiring and uplifting, highlighting all the elements noted above.

How about you? Do you know your company's story? Can you tell it in ninety seconds or less? And, when you tell it... will I yawn or will I feel inspired, excited and driven to say... "Wow"? "Tell me more! I want to be a part of this!"