The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative

by Stephen Denning (Washington, D.C.)

• ISBN13: 9780787976750
• ISBN10: 078797675X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-04-01
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

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.

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xi
Part One: The Role of Story in Organizations	1	(44)
Telling the Right Story: Choosing the Right Story for the Leadership Challenge at Hand	3	(22)
Telling the Story Right: Four Key Elements of Storytelling Performance	25	(20)
Part Two: Eight Narrative Patterns	45	(200)
Motivate Others to Action: Using Narrative to Ignite Action and Implement New Ideas	47	(30)
Build Trust in You: Using Narrative to Communicate Who You Are	77	(25)
Build Trust in Your Company: Using Narrative to Build Your Brand	102	(19)
Transmit Your Values: Using Narrative to Instill Organizational Values	121	(28)
Get Others Working Together: Using Narrative to Get Things Done Collaboratively	149	(29)
Share Knowledge: Using Narrative to Transmit Knowledge and Understanding	178	(23)
Tame the Grapevine: Using Narrative to Neutralize Gossip and Rumor	201	(23)
Create and Share Your Vision: Using Narrative to Lead People into the Future	224	(21)
Part Three: Putting It All Together	245	(60)
Solve the Paradox of Innovation: Using Narrative to Transform Your Organization	247	(33)
A Different Kind of Leader: Using Narrative to Become an Interactive Leader	280	(25)
Notes	305	(18)
Bibliography	323	(12)
Acknowledgments	335	(2)
About the Author	337	(2)
Write to the Author	339	(2)
Index	341