In his best-selling book, Squirrel Inc., former World Bank executive and master storyteller Stephen Denning used a tale to show why storytelling is a critical skill for leaders. Now, in this hands-on guide, Denning explains how you can learn to tell the right story at the right time. Whoever you are in the organization CEO, middle management, or someone on the front lines you can lead by using stories to effect change. Filled with myriad examples, A Leader's Guide to Storytelling shows how storytelling is one of the few available ways to handle the principal and most difficult challenges of leadership: sparking action, getting people to work together, and leading people into the future. The right kind of story at the right time, can make an organization "stunningly vulnerable" to a new idea.
Autorentext
Stephen Denning is a private consultant specializing in knowledge management and organizational storytelling. His clients include GE, IBM, Shell, McDonald's, and the U.S. Army, among others. He is the author of the acclaimed books Squirrel Inc., from Jossey-Bass, and The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations.
Klappentext
Praise for The Leader's Guide to Storytelling
"Denning has provided us with a handy field guide to the narrative craft, giving us the details on how to deliver the right story at the right time. Read this useful book—and then tell your friends about it!"
—Tom Kelley, author, The Art of Innovation
"This book, Steve Denning's magnum opus on storytelling, is a great achievement—the one book every manager should read before giving up his or her lifeless PowerPoint presentations. The book is creative, eclectic, passionate, and useful—a rare and winning combination for a business book."
–Larry Prusak, coauthor, What's the Big Idea and Working Knowledge
Praise for Squirrel Inc.
"Great communicators often use stories to make their point. Why? Facts and figures can overwhelm and leave the human element out of the situation. Squirrel Inc. . . . finds acorns of truth along its path. These acorns are the seven forms of organizational storytelling."
–Chicago Tribune
"Leaders and managers—even employees—involved in any serious organizational change would benefit from reading Squirrel Inc. It encapsulates both the why and the how of seven types of organizational storytelling, briefly, using the narrative as the carrying medium."
–Knowledge Management
"Storytelling with animals was good enough for Aesop, Kafka, and Orwell. And Denning makes serious points about leadership and change . . ."
–Financial Times
"Squirrel Inc. is a wonderfully refreshing look at leadership that contains countless insights on how stories create meaning and can inspire even cynical management to act."
–John Seely Brown, former chief scientist, Xerox Corp, and director of its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)
"Denning's book provides the 'how to' for which I've been looking."
–M. Gary Ryan, director, Brand Development and Strategy, People Magazine
"Steve Denning's work is an important reminder and great inspiration to all leaders who wish to connect with their employees on all the human dimensions required to create true followership."
–Mats Lederhausen, managing director, McDonald's Ventures, McDonald's Corporation
Zusammenfassung
In his best-selling book, Squirrel Inc., former World Bank executive and master storyteller Stephen Denning used a tale to show why storytelling is a critical skill for leaders. Now, in this hands-on guide, Denning explains how you can learn to tell the right story at the right time. Whoever you are in the organization CEO, middle management, or someone on the front lines you can lead by using stories to effect change. Filled with myriad examples, A Leader's Guide to Storytelling shows how storytelling is one of the few available ways to handle the principal and most difficult challenges of leadership: sparking action, getting people to work together, and leading people into the future. The right kind of story at the right time, can make an organization stunningly vulnerable to a new idea.
Inhalt
Introduction.
Part One: The Role of Story in Organizations.
1. Telling the Right Story: Choosing the Right Story for the
Leadership Challenge at Hand.
2. Telling the Story Right: Four Key Elements of Storytelling
Performance.
Part Two: Eight Narrative Patterns.
3. Motivate Others to Action: Using Narrative to Ignite Action
and Implement New Ideas.
4. Build Trust in You: Using Narrative to Communicate Who You
Are.
5. Build Trust in Your Company: Using Narrative to Build Your
Brand.
6. Transmit Your Values: Using Narrative to Instill
Organizational Values.
7. Get Others Working Together: Using Narrative to Get Things
Done Collaboratively.
8. Share Knowledge: Using Narrative to Transmit Knowledge and
Understanding.
9. Tame the Grapevine: Using Narrative to Neutralize Gossip and
Rumor.
10. Create and Share Your Vision: Using Narrative to Lead People
into the Future.
Part Three: Putting It All Together.
11. Solve the Paradox of Innovation: Using Narrative to
Transform Your Organization.
12. A Different Kind of Leader: Using Narrative to Become an
Interactive Leader.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Acknowledgments.
About the Author.
Write to the Author.
Index.