Why Esau's parables have stood the test of time

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I've chosen someone as my favorite communicator who is neither someone I know nor someone who's alive. This person may not even be an individual, but rather a collection of stories. During my walk, I thought about how these stories by Esau, with only about 150 words each, have stood the test of time and left a lasting impact on our culture. They've given us phrases like 'tortoise and the hare' and 'sour grapes' that we still use today. That's why I vote for Esau as the ultimate old school communicator. Esau's stories are simple, memorable, and impactful, which are the key ingredients of successful communication.

“What people regret over time are things they didn't do. They didn't take that trip, they didn't ask that person out on a date. They didn't start that business,” says former political speech writer and best-selling author Dan Pink. “I think it's because we are slightly over-indexed on risk. We overstate the risk in many circumstances.”

On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, strategic communications lecturer Matt Abrahams sits down with Pink to hear how we should all take more risks and how leaders can inspire others by focusing on the why instead of the how.

“There's almost incontrovertible evidence that sense of purpose is the most cost effective performance enhancer that organizations have,” Pink says.

They also discuss the power in taking breaks, which Pink considers part of performance, not a deviation from it. “What we know from many domains is that professionals take breaks. It's not that amateurs take breaks and the professionals don't, it's the exact opposite.”

Pink’s latest book is The Power of Regret, How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.

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