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

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TheLeaders’GuidetoStorytelling:MasteringtheArtandDisciplineofBusinessNarrative
StephenDenning
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 Storytellingandleadershiparebothperformanceartsandlikeallperformancearts,they
involveatleastasmuchdoingasthinking.
 Intersectionofleadershipandstorytelling.
 Only10%ofallpubliclytradedcompanieshaveprovedthemselvesabletosustainfor
morethanafewyearsagrowthtrajectorythatcreatesabove‐averageshareholder
returns.
 Mergersandacquisitionsonlysucceedintermsofaddingvaluetotheacquiring
companyof15%.
 Whatifyourairline’sflightsonlyarrived10‐15%oftime?Orifsurgicalprocedureswas
onlysuccessful10‐15%oftime.
 Managersthushavelittlereasontobecomplacentabouttheircurrentmodeofgetting
results.
 Thechoiceisnotaboutusingstorytellingornot.Butrathertouseunwittinglyand
clumsilyorintelligentlyandskillfully.
 Storytellingisasizablepartoftheeconomy.Persuasionconstitutesmorethan¼ofthe
USGNP.IFstorytellingishalfofpersuasion,thatamountsto14%ofGNP,ormorethan
atrillion$s.
 Differentnarrativepatternsareusefulforthedifferentpurposesofleadership.
 Learningtotellstoriesisnotsomuchataskoflearningsomethingasitisreminding
ourselvesofsomethingwealreadyknowhowtodo.
 Storytellingismorethanonetool:it’sawholearrayoftools—toolsthatcouldhelp
achievemultiplepurposessuchassparkingpeopleintoaction,communicatingwhoyou
areorwhoourcompanyis,transmittingvalues,sharingknowledge,tamingthe
grapevineandleadingintothefuture.
 Disciplineofstorytellingdealswithleadershipmorethanmanagement.Leadership
dealsmorewiththeendsthanthemeans.Concernsissueswherethereisno
agreementonunderlyingassumptionsandgoals–orwherethereisabroadagreement,
buttheassumptionsandgoalsareheadingforfailure.
 Leadershipisessentiallyastaskofpersuasion—ofwinningpeople’sheartsandminds.
 Adifferentkindofleader
 Thecaseismade,stepbystep,thatifyouconsistentlyusethenarrativetoolsdescribed,
youwillacquirenewcapabilities.Youcommunicatewhoyouareandwhatyoustand
for,otherscometoknowyouandrespectyouforthat.Becauseyouareattentivetothe
worldasitis,yourideasaresound.Youspeakthetruth,youarebelieved.Youmake
yourvaluesexplicitandyouractionsareconsistentwiththosevalues,yourvalues
becomecontagiousandothersstarttosharethem.Youlistentotheworldandthe
worldlistenstoyou.Youareopentoinnovationandhappyaccidentshappen.
 Narrativepatternscanbelearnedbyanyonewhowantstoleadthem—CEO,middle
management,onthefrontlinesofanorganizationoroutsideanyorganizations
altogether—anyonewhoseesabetterwaytodothingsandwantstheorganizationto
change.

1—TellingtheRightStory
 Analysismightexcitethemind,butithardlyoffersaroutetotheheart.
1

 Eightdifferentstorypatterns:
o Sparkingaction–describeshowasuccessfulchangewasimplementedinthe
past,butallowslistenerstoimaginehowitmightworkintheirsituation.Avoid
excessivedetail.“justimagine”,“Whatif”
o Communicatingwhoyouare–providesaudience‐engagingdramaandreveals
somestrengthorvulnerabilityfromyourpast.Providesomedetails;ensure
audiencehastimeandinclinationtohearyourstory.“Ididn’tknowthatabout
him!”,“NowIseewhatshe’sdrivingat.”
o Transmittingvalues–feelsfamiliartotheaudienceandwillpromptdiscussion
abouttheissuesraisedbythevaluebeingpromoted.Usebelievablecharacters
andsituationsandensurethestoryisconsistentw/youractions.“That’sso
right!”“Whydon’twedothatallthetime?”
o Communicatingyourbrand–Isusuallytoldbytheproductorserviceitself,or
thecustomerwordofmouthorbyacrediblethirdparty.Besurethebrand
deliversonthepromise.“Wow!I’vegottotellsomeoneaboutthat.”
o Fosteringcollaboration–Recountsasituationthatlistenershavealso
experiencedandpromptsthemtosharetheirownstoriesaboutthetopic.
Ensurethatasetagendadoesn’tsquelchthisswappingofstories—andthatyou
haveanactionplanreadytotaptheenergyunleashedbythisnarrativechain
reaction.“Thatremindsmeofthetime…”“I’vegotastorylikethat.’
o Tamingthegrapevine‐Highlightsthroughgentlehumorsomeaspectofa
rumorthatrevealsittobeuntrueorunreasonable.Avoidsthetemptationtobe
mean‐spirited.“Nokidding!”“I’dneverthoughtaboutitlikethatbefore.”
o Sharingknowledge–Focusesonproblemsandshows,insomedetail,howthey
werecorrected,withanexplanationofwhythesolutionworked.Solicit
alternative–andpossiblybetter–solutions.“Gosh!We’dbetterwatchoutfor
thatinthefuture.”
o Leadingpeopleintothefuture–Evokesthefutureyouwanttocreatewithout
providingexcessivedetailthatwillprovetobewrong.Besureofyour
storytellingskills.“Wheredowestart?”“Let’sdoit!”
 Differentcombinationsofstorycanbewoventogetherasanintegrativenarrative
tapestry.
 TheROIofstorytelling.Oftentherequesttoquantifybenefitsismerelyapretextfor
takingnoaction,orapolitewayofmakinganegativestatement.
 Mintzerg’sclassicNatureofManagerialWork,showedthattalkingcomprises78%ofa
manager’stime.
 Whenstorytellinggetsthemessageacrossmoreeffectively,itsincrementalcostis
zeroorclosetozero,andsoitsROIismassive.
 Mostchangeprogramsunsuccessful.Studyof40companiesinvolvedinmajorchange.
Eachprojectinitiatedbyseniormgt,e.g.,SixSigma,businessprocessrevamps.
Remarkablehowlittlesuccessthecompanieshadwiththeirchangeprograms.Key
findings:
o 58%ofcompaniesfailedtomeettargets;
o 20%capturedonlya1/3rdorlessofwhatwasexpected.
o 42%whoweresuccessfulnotonlygainedexpectedreturns,insomecases
exceededthemby200‐300%.
o Storytellingwasakeysuccessfactor.Withoutastorytellingcapacity,the
chancesofsuccessweresignificantlylower.
2

 Thereisnosimplecause‐and‐effectrelationshipbetweenintroducingamanagement
techniqueandgettinganimprovedbusinessresult.

2—TellingtheStoryRight
 Fourkeyelementsinstorytelling:
 Style‐Tellthestoryasifyourweretalkingtoasingleindividual.Avoidhedges.Don’t
givealternatepointsofview.Keepthestorysimple,focusedandclear.Presentthe
storyassomethingvaluableinitself.LouGerstner,“cleartohimandtomanyothers.”
Beyourself.
 Truth–Don’twastertimewithgrindingpersuasion.Offerlistenersanunobstructed
viewofthetruthandlistenerswillseeitandrecognizeitforwhatitis.Anyreasonable
personwouldhavetoagree.Don’targue,present.Makethestorytellingexperiencea
sprint,notamarathon.
 Preparation–Berehearsedbutnotspontaneous.Choosetheshapeofyourstoryand
sticktoit.Showonlythefinalcut,likeamoviedirector.
 Delivery–a1973findingatonly7%ofthemeaningofacommunicationcamefromthe
contentofthewordsspoken,while93%ofmeaningcomesfromnonverbal
communication.
 Toconnectwithyouraudience,youapproachthetaskofstorytellinginteractivelyand
modelyourbehaviorontheconceptfconversation—adialoguebetweenequals.You
proceedonthebasisthattherelationshipbetweenyouandyourlistenersis
symmetrical.Youtalkasifthelistenerscouldtakethenextturnintheconversation.

3—MotivateOtherstoAction
 Leadershipiscentrallyaboutinspiringpeopletoimplementnewideasinthefuture.
Andnotjustgrudginglybutenthusiastically,becausetheybelieveinit.
 It’snotjustanystorythatresultsinpeoplebuyingintomajorchange.
 MainElementsoftheSpringboardstory.
o Changeideabehindthestoryiscrystalclear.
o Storyisbasedonanactualexamplewherethechangewassuccessfully
implemented–thatis,it’satruestory.
o Storyistoldfromthepointofviewofasingleprotagonist.
o Theprotagonististypicaloftheaudience.
o Thestorygivesthedateandplacewhereithappened.
o Thestorymakesclearwhatwouldhavehappenedwithoutthechangeidea.
o Storyistoldwithlittledetail–inminimalistfashion.
o Storyhasapositivetone–ithastohaveanauthenticallyhappyending.
o Storyislinkedtothepurposetobeachievedintellingit.
 ClearPurpose.Thefirststepisgettingclearonthechangeideathatyouaretryingto
getacross.
 Foreachoftheotherstepsintheprocess,ask:isthispartofthestoryrelevantto
communicatingmypurpose?Ifthestorytellerisn’tclearonthepurpose,thestory
usuallyfails.Thechangeideahastobespecificenoughsothatpeoplecoldseewhether
theyaremakingprogresstoimplementitornot.Ifyou’rehavingpersistentdifficultyin
comingupwithastorytocommunicateachangeidea,checktheclarityofthechange
idea.Putyourchangeideainwriting,preferablyasinglesentence.
 Thesecondstepintheprocessistothinkofanincidentwherethechangeideahas
alreadyhappened.
3

 Foraspringboardstory,statethedateandplacewheretheeventhappened.Theright
way,thenormalway,tosignalthatyouaretellingatruestoryistogivethedateand
place.
 Whoisthesingleprotagonistofyourstory?Theheroorheroine?Notagroup,ateam,
acompany,acountry.Asingleperson.
 Youtellthestoryfromtheperspectiveofsomeonewhowillinspireyouraudienceto
say,“Iknowthatsituation!I’vebeenthere!I’vehadthatproblem!”Andsothey
identifywiththeprotagonist.INeffect,theystarttoliveasimilarstoryfor
themselves.Theymaybelisteningtothestorythatyouaretelling.Butthey’re
startingtotellthemselvesanewstoryinwhichtheybecometheprotagonist,inwhich
theyundertakethehero’sjourney,inwhichtheyencounterandovercomeobstacles,
andinwhichtheyattainthegoal.(Wipeout—Benistheprotagonist—letthereader
alsobetheprotagonist)
 Invitetheaudiencetomakelargeandrapidleapsofimagination.Inabusinesssetting,
stripoutallunnecessarydetail.Theminimaliststyleleavesplentyofspaceforthe
audiencetoimagineanewstoryintheirowncontext.
 Foreachmemberoftheaudience,youactuallyhavetwolisteners.There’sthephysical
personyouseeinfrontofyouandthere’salsoasecondlistenerknownas“thelittle
voiceinthehead.”
 Whatmakestheminimaliststorysopowerfulisthatisresolvesafundamental
conundrumoftransformation.Transformationmustbebothpersonaltoallparticipants
andcentrallydirectedinordertobecoherent.
 Aspringboardstorytoldinaminimalistfashionresolvestheparadoxbycreatinga
vehiclethatencouragesalllistenerstocraftsimilarstories,eachofwhichisstillthe
listener’sownstory.Theresultispersonalizedcoherenceacrosslargenumbersof
people.
 Inastoryaimedatsparkingaction,youhavetohaveahappyending.
 Howtogiveenoughguidancebutnottoomuch?Usethemagicphrasesof…“Whatif”
and“Justthink”
 Negativestoriesgetpeople’sattention,buttheydon’tsparkaction.Theactioncomes
fromapositivestorythatshowsthewayforward.Sousethenegativeknowledge‐
sharingstorytoconveythemessagethatthesituationisindeedgrim,butfollowitwith
thepositivespringboardstorythatshowshowtosolvetheproblem.
 Twowaystogettheaudience’sattention.Oneistotalkabouttheaudience’sproblems.
Talkabouttheissuesthatarekeepingthemawakeatnight.Theotherwayistotell
themwhoyouare.Tellthemastorythatcanbegintogeneratetheinterestandtrust
youwillneedasaplatformtospringthemintothefuture.
 TemplateforSpringboardstoryp.75.

4—BuildTrustinYou
 Thefirstreasonyoutellastoryistoshowpeoplewhoyouare—tostopbeinga
stranger.
 Youruniquenessasanindividual—yourveryidentity—doesn’tlieintherolesyoufillor
theabstractvaluesyouclaimtohave.Itresidesintheone‐of‐a‐kindpersonthatyou
havebecomeasaresultoftheexperience4syouhavehad.
 HowtoTellYourStory
 Astorythatcommunicateskeychoicesyouhavemadeinyourlife.
4

 Formostofus,ourownhopesandfearstendtogetinthewayofrealisticassessmentof
whoweare.
 Oneoftheunderlyingprinciplesofmostpsychotherapy:Creatingasituationthat
requirespersonalstorytelling,participantsseemtodiscoveradegreeofcoherencethat
wasn’ttherebefore.
 Peoplelookforsomeonewithaself‐imagethatislargelyconsistent.Itistherefore
importantforyouasaleadertohaveaclearviewofapersonallife‐storythatisaligned
withthefactorsofyourlife.NewtGingrichasanexampleduringBillClintonpresidency.
 Ittakescouragetotellastrongpersonalstory,becausethestoryimpliescertainvalues
thatyouwillholdtoeveniftheworldchanges.
 Afruitfulsourceofstoriesofwhoyouareconcernstoriesaboutturningpointsinlife,
momentsofdisruptionwhenyourworldasitappearsonthesurfaceisdisturbedby
someincidentthatgivesaglimpseoftheseregionsofdeeperfeelingandhowthey
affectedyou.
 Makingsuretheaudiencewantstohearyourstory:
o Firstencounter
o Adifficultdecision
o Coachingorcounselingdecisions
 TemplateforWhoYouArestoryonp.99.

5—BuildTrustInYourCompany
 Tellingthestoryofyourbrand.

6—TransmitYourvalues
 Distinguishingthedifferenttypesofvalues
o 1.Valuesoftherobberbarons–barefacedgreed;
o 2.Valuesofthehardballstrategists–½stepawayfromrobberbarons.The
heirsofMachiavelli;theyliveinanamoralworldandhavenoworthwhilevalues
totransmit;
o 3.Valuesofthepragmatists–Costcoexample.
o 4.Genuinelyethicalvalues–StarbucksandSouthwest;
 Somecompaniesfacea“valuesbankruptcy”eventhoughfromafiscalstandpoint,they
aresolvent.
 Althoughitmaynotbeclearwhethergoodenvironmentalandsocialpracticesalways
createvalueforshareholders,itisnowevidentthatbadonescandestroyit.Sincethe
brandisoftenthemostvaluableassetonthebalancesheet,firmsareparticularly
vulnerabletobadnewsabouttheirvalues.
 Peoleoftenhavedifficultinansweringquestionslikethese:
o Sotellmewhatyourvaluesare?
o Onaone‐to‐fivescale,doyouvaluethis?Orthat?
 Valuesliveintheactionsthatpeopleengageinandthestoriesthattheytellaboutthese
actionstotrytomakesenseofthem.
 Herearetopicsthatcanbeusedtopromptstoriesthatrevealvalues:
o Occasionswhereyoufacedadversity;
o Timeswhentwovaluesconflicted;
o Whatyoufindmostsatisfyinginworkingwithyourfirm;
o Somethingthatshowedyouwhatyourorganizationisreallygoodat;
o Theworstthingthateverhappenedtoyouinyourorganization;
5

o Howaclientwasbadlytreatedbutiteventuallyturnedoutwell;
o Yourhappiestdayatwork;
o Somethingthatyourorganizationisgoodatbutfewpeopleknowabout;
o Somethingthatshowedyouwhatyouhavetodotogetaheadinyour
organization;
 Sometimestoomuchtoaskapersontotellastoryaboutthemselves.Soaskthemto
shareastoryaboutsomeonewhomadeadifferenceintheirlife.Couldbeabout:
o Someonetheyknewwhentheyweregrowingup;
o Someoneintheorganizationwhohasmeantalottothem;
o Thepersontheyadmiremostinyourorganization;
o Thepersonwhoisclosesttothemintheorganization;
o Someonewhodidbetterintheorganizationthananyoneexpected;
o Someonewhoreallytaughtthemtheropesattheorganization;
 7—GetOthersWorkingTogether:UsingNarrativetoGetThingsDoneCollaboratively
 Workgroupsarethetraditionalsubunitsinanorganization:departmentsordivisions.
Theyentailpeopleworkingonthesamesubjectandsometimesinthesamespace.
 Teamsareorganizationalgroupingsofpeoplewhoareinterdependent,whoshare
commongoals,whocoordinatetheiractivitiestoaccomplishthesegoals,andwhoshare
responsibilityfortheperformanceofthecollectivity.
 Whileworkgroups,teamsandcommunitiesareconceptuallydistinct,inpracticethey
tendtooverlap.
 CollaborationRestsonSharedvalues
 Oftenthebasicsaren’tinplacetoenableteamworktohappen.
 There’sadeeperrootcause—collaborationrestsonvalues.Andtheespousedvaluesof
collaborationandtheoperationalvaluesatworkoftenexistonoppositesidesofadeep
gap.
 Growingnumbersofpeopleareinterestedinmovingfromaworldof“me”toaworldof
“we.”
 Theviabilityofahigherperformanceteamorcommunityisgoingtodependonits
members.Forthemtogettofirstbase,theymusthaveaminimumdegreeof
understandingofthenatureoftheentitytheyarecreating.
 Highperformanceteamsarerareandtheirnonhierarchical,passionatemodusoperandi
anddistributedleadershipruncountertothepervasivehierarchicalthinkingin
organizationstoday.
 12—ADifferentKindofLeader
 Implicitinallthisisadifferentideaofwhatitmeanstobealeader.Theinteractive,
Tolstoyanleaderworkswiththeworld,ratherthanagainstit.Interactiveleadership
bothaddsandsubtractselementsfromtheleadershippalette.
 Interactiveleadershipbuildsonpersonalintegrityandauthenticity.Becauseyoucan
communicatewhoyouareandwhatyoustandfor,otherscometoknowyouand
respectyourforthat.Becauseyouareattentivetotheworldasitis,yourideasare
sound.Becauseyouspeakforthetruth,youarebelieved.Becauseyoutreatothersas
endsinthemselves,notmerelyasmeanstoyourownends,peopletrustyou.Because
youmakeyourvaluesexplicitandactinaccordwiththosevalues,yourvaluesbecome
contagiousandothersstarttosharethem.Becauseyouareopentoinnovation,happy
accidentshappen.Youbringmeaningintotheworldofwork;youareabletoget
superiorresults.Interactiveleadershipdoesn’tdependonthepossessionofhierarchical
authority.
6

 LeadershipThatParticipates
 Onceleadersadopttheinteractivemodeofthinkingandbehaving,theworldisno
longerseparate.Theyescapefromtheillusionofpassionlessobjectivity,whichmayaim
atclaritybutinevitablyendsupdistortingtheworldbystrippingawaythedimensionof
humanviewpoints,emotionsandgoals.
 Ifyouaretoachieveappropriateconnectednesswiththepeopleyoulead,youneed
preciselythosecapacitiesforunderstanding,trustandrespectthattheNapoleonic
modeofmanagementsuppresses.Choosingtofeedcompassioninsteadofdetachment
isoftenridiculedinbusinessasbeinginsufficiently“hard”—insufficientlyfirm,hard‐
nosed,tough‐minded,aggressiveandultimatelyhard‐hearted.
 Inmostleadershipsituations,trustrespectandcollaborationaresimplymoreeffective
thanpreemptivedomination.
 Fortheinteractiveleader,thesituationisverydifferent.Theinteractiveleadercomes
withamessageandanagenda,butalsoseekstointeractwiththeaudienceandlearn
fromtheirviewpoints.Forthispurpose,storytellingisanextraordinarilysuitabletoo.
Sinceallgoodstorytellingbeginsandendsinlistening,thesessionisinherently
participativeandinteractive.
 Evenbeforethepresentationhasbegun,theinteractiveleadersshowanappropriate
rapportattheoutsettoenhancethechancesoftheaudiencebeingresponsive.Thus
theleadermightwelcometheaudienceindividually,shakinghandsorotherwise
physicallyacknowledgingtheirpresence.Theinteractiveleaderdoesthisbecauseit’s
difficulttobeutterlyunresponsivetosomeonewhoisactivelysignalingresponsiveness
andreciprocity.
 Sotheinteractiveleaderusesastoryandtheresponsivenessoftheaudiencetothe
storyiscontagious.
 Theinteractiveapproachtoleadershipismodeledontheconceptofconversation—a
dialoguebetweenequals.It’snotimpossibletomaintainaconversationofequalswhen
dealingwithsomeonewhoadoptsasuperiorhierarchicalposition,butitisn’teasy—
thereisaninherenttendencytoslideintoanadversarialrelationshipofeither
submissionorrebellion.
 ArethereCEOstodaywhoarerunningrealcompanieswithinteractiveleadership?A
casecanbemadethatLouGerstneratIBMwassometimesinthismode.BillBrattonof
theNYCpolice,TomChappellofTom’sofMaine,BillGeorgeofMedtronic,SteveJobsof
AppleComputer,HerbKelleherofSouthwest,AnitaRoddiceofTheBodyShop.The40
orso“ideapractitioners”TomDavenportandLarryPrusakciteinWhat’stheBigIdea?
 There’slittletointhecollectivepsychethatmakesiteasyforpeopletounderstandand
slideintothismodeofoperating.Thismaybepartoftheproblem:societyistryingto
givebirthtoanewtypeofthehumanpsychethatwouldactuallyencouragegood
peopleandinnovationandstillsurviveandflourish.Likeanythingworthwhile,thebirth
pangsarenotpainlessoreasy.Neverthelesstheneedisthere.
 InteractiveLeadershipThatIsNotforEveryone
 Theinteractiveleadershipapproachwillnotappealtoeveryone.Tothosewhoare
comfortableinthecommandandcontrolmode,tohosewhoaretherobberbarons,the
hardballstrategies,theupwardlymobilelackeys,fawningaidesdecamp,commercial
mercenaries,paid‐for‐politiciansorschemingdemagogues.Suchpeoplehaveused
inauthenticnarrativeasatoolofmanipulationandcontrol.
 Thesepropelledwillgoonpracticingtheircounterfeitleadershipinoffices,danglingthe
threatoflayoffsorotherdisastersoverpeople’sheadswhileincreasingthepaceand
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intensityofthework.Theywillgoonusingpseudo‐empiricalstudiescraftedtocontain
creativepeopleincagesofquietdesperation.Theywillspendtheirtimespeakingto
thosewhoobey,orinordertoforceobedience,ortoseducenewcomerswith
duplicitiousmaneuvers.
 LeadershipthatIsRelativelyFreeofEgo
 Theinteractiveapproachtoleadershipisnotconcernedmerelywithmakingthedeal.
Thisiskey,becauseifwhoyouaregetsdefinedaccordingtothecurrentrateof
exchangeinamarketplace,thentheaccommodationyoumakewiththeworldwill
distractyou,onedegreeatatime,fromwhatmatters.Thisishowthecommercialized
versionofwhatitmeanstobeapersonbringspeopleunderitsspell.
 Byremovingegofromthegame,youchangethenatureofthegame,sincetheprincipal
leverofthoseinthecontrolmodeiseliminated.
 Beingrelativelyfreeofegomeansneverexactingrevenge.Youropponentsare
oppressedbyalargerfoe—theirownfear.
 LeadershipThatisLikeJudo
 Whenyoutakeontheroleoftheinteractiveleader,awareofwhoyouare,confidentof
yourvalues,assuredofthesoundnessofyourmissionandcompetenttocommunicate
itthroughastory,youwillacquiresupporters.Youdon’tfightyouropponents:you
invalidatethem.Thosewhobearthetrappingsofpowerdon’tnecessarilyhavemuch
authority.
 Bestingmeansnotfencingpeoplein—youleavethemroomtochangetheirminds.You
behaveasifyouropponentsareyourallies,demonstratingyourtrustinthemandgiving
themstrengthtodotherightthing.Yougivethemthecouragetochangebycreating
heroicexpectationsforthem.Thebiggertheexpectations,thehardertheywilltryto
achievethem.Achangeinrelationsoccursasallparticipantsrecognizetheneedfor
change.
 LeadershipthatHasFeeling
 Interactiveleadershipinvolvespassion—anotheringredientthatismissingfrom
commandandcontrolleadership.
 Anotherreasonwhytheinteractiveleaderresortstostorytellingisitsauralcharacter.
Theearenjoysaprivilegedpassagewaytotheheart,asmaybeseenintheemotional
impactofmusic.
 Theinteractivemodeofleadershipisn’tsimplyaboutbeingemotionallyintelligent;it’s
aboutactingwithemotionalintelligence.Ifyouareemotionallyintelligentonlyinyour
thoughtswhileyouremaininthecontrolmode,regulatingandoptimizing,thenyouare
unlikelytobesuccessfulinengagingtheemotionsofothers.Itisgenerallythrough
narrativethatyouactivatepassionandchannelthepassioninothersforconstructive
purposes.Toachievetheproperbalanceinherentin“well‐targetedandwelldeployed
emotion”,youalsoneedtoavoidbeingtoomuchinlovewithorder.
 Thecontrolmodeofmanagementisdeadening.Youcanrecognizeitinthegrayfeeling
thatcomesoveryouwhenyouparticipateinadepartmentalmeeting,listeningtothe
voicethatdronesonwiththeannouncementsof“newfindings”thatcouldhardlybe
morebanal,orthelatestreorganization.Thesearestagnantwatersinwhichnoliving
thingflourishes.Thedrearinessofthemodernworkplace.