Leadership and Narration

Author Steve Denning discusses the importance of effective storytelling in leadership and the pattern that makes a story successful. According to Steve Denning, a large part of successful leadership is connecting with the audience through effective storytelling. He breaks down the pattern of an effective story to three factors: it should be true (should be factual but also authentic), positive in tone (negative gets attention but does not inspire) and in a minimalist fashion (stripped down, streamlined without the distractions of details).

Steve Denning also says there are two listeners to every story: the listener you see and the voice inside someone's head. While conventional communication says to ignore the little voice, it's the job of the storyteller to give the little voice something to do. When the little voice inside one's head is telling a new story, that's when they become the champions of the idea. Steve Denning makes a great argument for the sharing of knowledge and its important relationship to inspiration.