Stories

Nothing accelerates your culture transformation like a good story.

I gave a keynote to a network of one hundred hospitals on the neuroscience that explains why.

Our brains are literally hardwired for story. We take fragments of information and turn them into stories. When we're listening to a well-told story, our brain waves actually change their shape to merge with those of the person telling the story.

Creating conscious culture in an organization is about making sure that your staff, your leaders and your customers are telling the story you want. Inspired by the right stories, your stakeholders become your brand ambassadors.

Zappos calls their principal company value "Deliver WOW through Service." And they have a great way to generate stories that reflect that value. They will take any customer call and speak with the individual for as long as that person wants about any topic-related or unrelated to their product. Zappos' founder Tony Hseih shares in his keynotes how he tested the policy. Callingg anonymously late at night during a party, he asked the representative to find him a pizza place that would deliver to the hotel he was at in San Diego. He got his answer, his pizza, and a story so outrageous it went viral.

My husband and I were driving back to Las Vegas from the Grand Canyon when our Garmin died. Having done a tour of the Zappos facility a few days earlier, who did we call for directions/ Zappos! The representative not only got us home turn by turn--she helped us find a great sushi place to stop at along the way. Zappos earned another great story about their values in action-and made me a brand ambassador.

Stories tell the world what you stand for. What are the stories that staff, customers, stakeholders and constituents tell about your organization and your brand? Are you creating the experiences that will spread the ones you want?