What stories are you telling to our future leaders?

Monday 21st of January was a particularly snowy day with 16 cm of the white stuff gently floating down to transform the landscape and cause the usual UK chaos.
As a result schools were closed and my two children took this opportunity to have some fun time in the snow. My eldest had crafted a snow figure and after work, I decided to spend some time with her and her creation.

Some props were used to create a story that contrasted against the backdrop of the pure white snow. The innocent figure was transformed into a sophisticated woman complete with a wig, beret and a scarf. And then we let our imagination run wild as we crafted and told the story of the LadyKiller….(you will have to imagine how that went…)

We humans have been telling stories since the beginning of time. Our lives are stitched together by stories. The stories we tell are the lives that we have led or are leading, the things that we have done or are involved in, the issues that are bothering us, the challenges that we are facing or have faced….

What stories have you been telling recently and to whom?

Stories can be used in any aspect of communication to create a journey of imagination in which transformations can happen.

This is also applicable to almost any aspect of leadership such as change, portraying your brand and values, influencing, unifying people towards a common vision, purpose or goal, imparting and sharing knowledge, motivating, inspiring…

When you tell a story that is powerful, authentic and which touches the listener on an emotional level, that story becomes memorable and will stay with the listener.

And for this reason, storytelling has a crucial role in developing future leaders. As a leader are you using your personal leadership stories to engage, develop and grow future leaders – be it in the workplace, in the community, in school, at home….?

If you are not telling stories, you are missing out on a great opportunity to utilise a highly effective medium for learning, engaging, opening dialogue, finding common ground… with the next generation of future leaders.

Stories that connect are those that include an element of challenge, hardship, unusual moments, learning through failure, showing some vulnerability, compassion…

Leadership happens in the context of our daily lives through our relationships with others and our everyday actions. This provides rich fodder for you to add to, develop and grow your leadership stories.

As you continue to learn, your stories become dynamic and evolving with your continued experiences.

This creates a supply of stories to tell and if you tell them well, you will have a captive audience who will  vicariously learn from what they are hearing and experiencing.

So next time you are involved with the younger generation (at work, at home, at play…) think about what stories you can share that will help to develop their leadership.

More on storytelling:

• Tips on developing your storytelling: using storytelling as a communication tool
• What can you learn about leadership from your elders?
• What stories are you telling?

How often do use storytelling as a communication tool? What stories have you been telling recently and to whom? What would help you to share your leadership story / journey?

I’m a professional coach (MA in Coaching & Mentoring) helping you to progress, make successful changes, be a more effective leader and communicator, improve your performance and team working. I specialise in working with leaders, teams and women through a blended approach of individual and team coaching, training, facilitation and action learning.