After a delayed flight and a wrong-way ride on the Metro, I arrived at my hotel too late to participate in the opening evening of the 9th Annual Story Weekend in Washington, D.C. last Thursday. While I was really disappointed, the remaining two days, by a wide margin, made up for that first evening’s mix-up.

The weekend itself, sponsored by the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program and Golden Fleece, was an incredible collection of experiences and interactions – way too much to cover in one blog post. Today, I present a few nuggets that stand out for me as representative of the value and power of story to impact our workplaces – and our own working experiences – in a powerful way.

Why Story Matters Today

In the opening session on Friday, Storytelling Passport to the 21st Century, author and leadership consultant, Steve Denning, reminded us that, statistically, only 21% of people in the workplace are fully engaged in their work. Although he left it unspoken, that leaves 79% of the working population who are either not engaged – essentially checked out or sleepwalking through their day, or actively disengaged, meaning that they aren’t just unhappy at work – they are busy acting out their unhappiness. According to Denning, even middle managers don’t trust their firms.

Contrast those statistics with the high-performance teams Steve helps to develop through his work. “These are teams that are vibrantly alive”, he says. “They’re both extremely productive and deeply satisfying to the participants.” High-performance teams of the type Steve talks about demonstrate 200% – 1000% improvements in productivity. In the case of one organization, the increase in productivity was an astounding 5000%.

How would the stories of our workplaces change if we could reverse the percentages between the fully engaged members of our working communities and those who are just putting in their time – or even actively sabotaging the engagement of others?

The Stories Leaders Tell

As the world grows more complex, story helps us to understand the bigger picture and where we fit in. Tom Stewart, chief marketing and knowledge officer at Booz & Company and former editor of Harvard Business Review, said that a leader’s job is to make meaning – leadership is fundamentally sense-making. “We came from here…this is where we are…this is where we’re going.” He talked about five tests that every leader faces - the test of becoming the boss, the test of battle, the test of defeat, the test of re-invention, and the test of the mirror. The way leaders passes those tests, and the stories they tell themselves and others about them, impact and influence those around them in a positive or negative way.

Susan O’Halloran, a diversity and communications expert, taught that people want to be part of a bigger story. As leaders, we need to be intentional about telling a big enough story (of our team, our project, our company) to bring out the best in ourselves and others. And, we can’t take that bigger story for granted – purpose needs to be continually re-invigorated. CEO of Pelerei, Inc., Madelyn Blair, shared a wonderful story that illustrated our hunger for belonging and contribution – for being part of something larger than ourselves. She said, “We think we can buy high performance with incentives, rather than calling it forth with belonging.”

The Power of the Beehive

Seth Kahan’s JumpStart Storytelling session engaged us in a powerful process of rapid-fire sharing that set the stage for connection and collaboration for the rest of the conference. By the time the exercise was over, we’d had a chance to listen to stories of peak teamwork experiences from more than twelve fellow participants, share our own teamwork stories, and debrief some universal principles. In his article, Storytelling to JumpStart Collaboration, Seth introduces the concept of the beehive. “To create an atmosphere of collaboration, it is necessary to shift away from a broadcast mode in which one person speaks while everyone else listens. By activating a ‘beehive’ in which everyone is sharing, the conversation moves off the podium and out onto the floor. This form of storytelling has the effect of filling the room with relevant activity and enthusiasm.”

Finally, in her paper, Redefining our Tribe – Harnessing Diversity through Story, performance artist, storyteller and facilitator, Noa Baum tells us that storytelling in the workplace adds value in a number of ways. This is particularly true with the diverse teams that are crucial to creating high-quality results when dealing with complex problems. According to Baum, story builds trust and leads to collaboration; it expands our ability to handle complexity; and it changes attitudes. Pretty powerful stuff.

What’s Next?

My bottom line take-away from this weekend? With all that’s going on in the world now, we need people’s full engagement and the power of collaboration and collaborative thinking more than ever. In our organizations, our communities, our country and our planet, we’re facing complex and interconnecting challenges. The stakes are high in any number of areas. The world is calling us to greater contribution.

I can feel my own personal and professional stories evolving as a result of my experiences with the power of story and narrative this weekend. What’s your bigger story – and what is it asking of you?

I’ll be sharing more nuggets from the 9th Annual International Story Weekend – and organizational story and narrative in general – over the next weeks and months. To get another perspective on the impact of the weekend, check out these blog posts from fellow participants Kathy Hansen and Ray Jimenez.

http://astoriedcareer.com/2009/04/golden-fleece-2009-in-words-an.html

http://vignettestraining.blogspot.com/2009/04/triumphants-from-conclave.html

[tags] organizational storytelling, storytelling, business narrative, Golden Fleece, Smithsonian Resident Associates Program, Story at Work, Steve Denning, Tom Stewart, Susan O’Halloran, Madelyn Blair, Seth Kahan, Noa Baum, high-performance teams, diversity, engagement, collaboration, leadership, culture [/tags]