How Stories Reveal Organizational Culture

David Hutchens: Story Dash

David Hutchens works with leaders around the world to find, craft, and tell their most urgent stories for the purpose of creating shared meaning, preserving culture, disseminating learning, and speeding change in organizations. He has taught the Storytelling Leader program at some of the most influential organizations, including NASA, Paypal, Loreal Paris, Cisco, Walmart, Google, and FedEx. He’s written many books, including the Circle of the 9 Muses, Story Dash, and The Leadership Story Deck.

When organizational change is happening, leaders need to be intentional about lining up with culture, especially if it’s the time to shift that culture just a bit. We often do the logistics well, but we miss the power of both the human and emotional connections. In this episode, David and I discuss how story can help us make a meaningful shift.

Key Points

• The organizations that are being intentional about culture are also being intentional about story.
• Getting beyond the logistics of changes and leaning first into humanity and emotion help people frame cultural shifts.
• Leaders go first. Embodied stories from leaders are surprising, counter-cultural, and repeatable.
• Asking for stories is rarely sufficient. Instead, invite stories through intentional prompts like, “Tell me about a time you felt more engaged, alive, and happiest in your work here.”
• Received stories are the ones told by employees. Adding an emotion word to an invitation such as, “What’s a time you were proud?” often surfaces more genuine stories.

David is now a Coaching for Leaders expert partner. Connect with him to discover how he might support your organization in making a meaningful cultural shift via our partners page or email him directly at david@davidhutchens.com.

Resources Mentioned

• Circle of the 9 Muses: A Storytelling Field Guide for Innovators and Meaning Makers by David Hutchens (Amazon, Bookshop)*
• Story Dash: Find, Develop, and Activate Your Most Valuable Business Stories…In Just a Few Hours by David Hutchens (Amazon)*
• Leadership Story Deck by David Hutchens (Amazon)*

Related Episodes

• Leadership Means You Go First, with Keith Ferrazzi (episode 488)
• How to Start Finding Useful Stories, with David Hutchens (episode 593)
• How to Bring Out the Best in People, with Donna Hicks (episode 724)

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