A good leadership story is real-life with the boring parts cut out.

Whether it’s in the workplace, home, or somewhere in between, never forget that we are humans talking to humans - not machines talking to machines. In other words, we are not data transmitters - but rather storytellers.

Throughout the course of human history, stories have been the primary vehicle through which each generation has passed on its wisdom for the benefit of each succeeding generation.

They transfer lessons learned, frameworks upon which decisions are made, and best practices in a format that humans have been conditioned to learn from by adding both context and emotion to "fact/data," which enhances the understanding and retention of that "fact/data".

But simply telling a story and recounting it in a way that others want to hear it are two different things.

In business and leadership, the challenge is to develop your stories in advance of needing them..

Try this:

1. Write out a story in bullet point format as you remember it.

2. Using your smartphone, record yourself recounting that story

3. Review your video and cut out parts that don’t advance the story.

4. Repeat multiple times

What you are left with is real life with the boring parts cut out.

This refined story then becomes like an arrow that you add to a quiver of stories, which you can then pull out and use as a tool to influence the people you lead.

#leadershipdevelopment #emergingleaders #storytelling