{“Good corporate stories are more likely
to conjure up tangible visible images than
anything in a PowerPoint presentation.” }
—Chip Heath
Professor, Stanford University
December, the company throws a holiday of view, honour traditions and celebrate ■ Use an employee’s name.Makethat
party for its employees and invites six patients successes. They can be used for internal or person a hero. Armstrong adds, “It’s a
and their physicians to attend and share how external audiences. morale boost, and what did it cost?”
they were helped by Medtronic’s products. Clark stresses the importance of being ■ Don’t make it overcomplicated. Clark
One patient who shared his story was organic, constantly creating new stories to keep stresses, “Keep it simple.”
Gary Prazac, who had been diagnosed with the message fresh. ■ In writing, it should be no more than
Parkinson’s disease at age 49. Prazac emotion- Ann Monroe, president of the Community a page. In a presentation, unless you’re
ally recounted how the disease turned him Health Foundation of Western and Central an extremely gifted storyteller, keep it
into an “old man, shuffling along with a cane New York, in Buffalo, New York, was trained to two to three minutes.
and wearing the ‘Parkinson’s mask’ [a deadpan in the corporate world to look at data, but after ■ Keep looking for new stories to tell.
Arm-facial expression].” He told how he had become working in a non-profit organization she felt strong claims, “It makes you a better leader,
stuck at an airport when he was unable pushed to look beyond the numbers. “You becauseyouhavetolistentopeople.”
to move from his chair, forcing him to miss need to create a relationship with the people to When asked about companies that under-his plane. Huge doses of medication helped have them look at the data,” explains Monroe. stand the importance of storytelling, the ex-control the tremors but caused other unwel- “Stories engage the hearts and minds of peo- perts interviewed often cited the same names:
come symptoms. This went on for years, until ple; data engages the intellect.” Costco, Nike, Southwest Airlines, to name a
his doctor suggested a new therapy involving David Armstrong, president and chief few. While they were generally reticent to name
the implantation of a deep-brain-stimulation executive officer of Armstrong International specific companies that failed to understand
device made by Medtronic. Prazac said, “The ( www.armstrong-intl.com), a Costco member, the concept, one name did consistently crop
surgery reversed at least 10 years of symp- has made a second career out of storytelling. up: Silicon Valley. Ted Leonhardt, a business
toms. It was literally a miracle. Medtronic Hehasauthoredfourbooksandproducedvid- consultant who was part of the team that
gave me my smile back.” eos and CDs on the subject. Armstrong says, helped conceive Costco’s Kirkland Signature™
Medtronic’s chairman and chief executive “Stories are everywhere. Small-business own- brand, observed, “Management that speaks in
officer, Art Collins, attributes much of the com- ers probably tell a story every day and just don’t abstractions and business-speak does not bring
pany’s success to the stories told at the holiday know it.” He offers this advice to formalize it. life to its message by making it relevant.”
events, calling it “the day we come together as a ■ What’s the purpose of the story? Are And therein lies the basic value of story-
family joined by a great and enduring mission: you looking to convey information to telling: its ability to create relevance for all of
serving others.” employees about company culture or the company’s stakeholders. As the experts all
trying to convey your level of personal emphasized, storytelling works for small busi-
Creating your story? service to customers? nesses as well as large, for organizations as well
Corporate stories are used for numerous ■ Think of an experience that reflects as in personal lives.
purposes. They convey information, share that aim So, what’s your story? C
knowledge, clarify an organization’s mission, ■ Write it down. Perfect it. Put a title
underscore values, sell products or points to it. State the moral.
Costco: A fish story
ONE COMPANY mentioned in retold at corporate events. The buying team found sand words, and a story told
Evelyn Clark’s book, Around the When Costco first estab- another way to enhance the appropriately is priceless,”
Corporate Campfire, and singled lished its meat department in product by offering a fully observes Jim. “Telling one of
out by the other experts inter- 1987, a team was dedicated to trimmed, skinless and boneless our own stories speaks volumes
viewed, is Costco. President improving the quality of the sal- fillet and lowered the price to about our philosophy and
and Chief Executive Officer Jim mon fillet. Although the initial- $4.99 a pound. For stage four, our values.”
Sinegal says, “What else have stage product was a high-quality they found that buying in bulk Costco institutionalized the
we got besides stories? That’s skin-on fillet at $5.99 per pound, enabled them to lower the price salmon story by creating an
what really hits home with peo- the salmon team saw that there to $4.79. In stage five, the qual- award named for what it repre-ple. It’s what brings meaning to was room for improvement. ity was improved still further sents about the company and
the work we do.” In stage two, belly fat, back- through certain trimming, but the spirit of the message. The
A well-known tale within bone, collar bones, back fins and the price remained the same. Salmon Award not only recog-the company is the “salmon belly fins were removed, but Costco could have raised the nizes outstanding performances
story.” A wall display is devoted even though the quality was price for the improved product, by employees and suppliers,
to it in the lobby of corporate improved, the price was reduced but didn’t do so. but also serves to create new
headquarters, and it is often to $5.29 a pound. “A picture is worth a thou- stories with each winner.—SF
