Listening to the radio this morning, I was caught up in a story that a writer was sharing. The tale was nothing extraordinary but what occurred to me was the obscurity and depth that could only be exposed properly by the author. My guess is that we all have stories throughout our lives that could be shared with great reception. More often, the memorable experiences in our lives do not necessarily revolve around significant impact moments but instead can be traced back to smaller events over brief time periods. Quotes such as “enjoy the journey”, “smell the roses” among other similar messages are directly associated with this idea of ‘story’. A portion of the podcast revolution is directly attributable to people exposing moments to a wider audience. Not all podcasts are supremely interesting but most are unique in flavor because of the cast/crew working on the project.
As we go through our workdays, I believe that leadership, strategy and collaboration can all be positively augmented by the continued sharing of ‘story’. Ask yourself, when was the last time you shared some brief story with colleagues that would allow them to connect on a deeper level with you. If this became a regular activity, how much more willing would colleagues follow your lead? Maybe more important is the question of how much stronger team bonds might become through this exposure. These ideas are nothing new but the specific story as told this morning brought this to the surface for me.
In a world where social media can lead to silos, we can change paths by reaching out, sharing and connecting with those around us. I think we can all be surprised by the life around us that is not evident without participation from others.
“Many words will be written on the wind and the sand, or end up in some obscure digital vault. But the storytelling will go on until the last human being stops listening. Then we can send the great chronicle of humanity out into the endless universe.” HM