What do the Oscars have to do with leadership authenticity? A lot! Interestingly enough, we can learn a lot about what makes an authentic and effective leader from what makes a great movie! In this sixth excerpt on leadership authenticity – we will be looking at the importance of leaders telling their own story. Who can we better learn from than one of the best story tellers in the film industry - John Lassater - who is the American Animator & Director and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Sunday night, in a taped interview during the Oscars, Mr. Lassater made this statement, “The tools alone won’t earn you an academy nomination but a great story will.” And indeed Mr. Lassater should know – the widely successful animated film “Up!” – (which is the only movie ever nominated for both best film and best animated film) won the Oscar for best animated film this year. The core of the story – about a young woman and man growing up, getting married, and living life launched a fascinating adventure about an old man and his discoveries in a far away land.
Here are some of the ways that stories can help you as a leader build authenticity:
- Effective leaders tell “their own story.” Why? Because stories can powerfully connect you with your management team and staff members. Leaders can be more “real” with their staff by telling stories about their lives, their insights, and their experiences. And leaders who tell their own stories can be perceived as more authentic leaders -which goes a long way to enhancing trust in the workplace.
- Successful leaders share “failures” as well as successes. Watch what kind of stories you are telling. It is those real-life stories about your own failures and set backs that can help people see you as a human being.
- Effective leaders constantly develop their story telling ability. Telling good stories is both a craft and a skill. Get help with telling your stories. As a coach, I have been privileged to come alongside a number of leaders as they develop and deliver their stories – through both spoken and written word.
- Great leaders use the power of stories to communicate corporate culture. Corporate story telling can be a great vehicle to cement vision, mission, and values. For more information on the power of corporate storytelling, I would encourage you to check out the book entitled, “Around the Corporate Campfire” written by a friend and colleague, Evelyn Clark. (For more information about Evelyn Clark, you can go to www.CorpStory.com).
So – as we wrap up our series on leadership authenticity – here’s some questions to ponder:
- Are you telling stories?
- What kinds of stories are you telling?
- Are you telling stories in the most effective manner?
- Are you using stories to help you create a specific corporate culture?
