The Internet has transformed freedom of speech into an out-of-control blogosphere. A new breed of publishers, called “information aggregators,” mix blogs, hard news, micro blogs, videos and all manner of outside content into information portals covering every imaginable topic. We may never see a paperless society, but we are firmly entrenched in the world of Web-based and digital publishing.

Many believe this cloud of new information outlets has dimmed the truth – facts get distorted in blogs, bias infiltrates Web sites and newsletters, credibility and accountability are questionable, and anyone with a beef and a cell phone camera can become an overnight journalist. But one thing about media will never change, no matter what form it takes: the public’s visceral hunt for fresh, dramatic, true stories.

The same is true inside organizations. Storytelling can drive vision, build relationships, and instill pride in work. But what relation should stories have with hard facts? Do dry stats and numbers let the air out of a motivational balloon? I believe stories that incorporate such facts can powerfully inspire people.

Get real

Confronting current realities is a popular leadership tactic. It neutralizes bias, bad judgment, and groundless positive attitudes. Truth is its end and means. Unfortunately, for the true truth to emerge, the leader’s information sources can’t diffuse the facts with politics, or the resulting corporate stories will flirt with fiction. Jim Collins writes in Good to Great: “The moment a leader allows himself to become the primary reality people worry about, rather than reality being the primary reality, you have a recipe for mediocrity, or worse.”

Moses was a master at simultaneously recounting historical fact and creating anticipation about the future. In the book of Deuteronomy, he dictates his people’s history like a journalist, with impersonal precision. He employs stories of past failures and divine judgments to warn them about future consequences if they commit the same mistakes. He also casts a bountiful vision if they obey the new laws and strategy he’s about to set before them. In one powerful sentence, he gives them a choice for their future: “See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity” (Deut. 30:15).

We can’t tell from the text what kind of emotion Moses expressed in his speech. His words, however, stick to the facts of his people’s situation. After rattling off their historical highs and lows, he delivers details of how he wants his people to govern themselves. He commands them to celebrate certain holidays and gives them instructions on waging war after he’s gone. He outlines a visionary future and names his successor. He doesn’t rely on hyperbole to bolster the lure of the Promised Land – the words “milk and honey” were enough to excite people’s appetites for the good life. They knew everything that went with those two luxuries. Part of the future dream, however, required them to obey in the present.

Alan Kay, a former Disney Fellow and well-known IT innovator, said, “Why was Solomon recognized as the wisest man in the world? Because he knew more stories (proverbs) than anyone else. Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we're all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.”

In Things that Make us Smart, psychologist Donald Norman explains the cognitive power of stories: “Logic tries to generalize, to strip the decision making from the specific context, to remove it from subjective emotions. Stories capture the context, capture the emotions. Logic generalizes, stories particularize.”

Weaving history, logic and reality into a visionary fabric creates a story that both generalizes and particularizes. It needs no additional emotional noise or artificial excitement – those usually produce temporary results anyway. A fact-focused story speaks to the entire human mind. Through its carefully coupled logic and dreaming, it enables the impossible to appear doable. Good to Great explores this paradox: “Retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties. And at the same time, confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
 
The plain-fact story model perfected by Moses accomplishes several things:

1. Information dissemination – As a story gets retold by staff, important information and knowledge spread virally throughout the organization.
2. Employee support of decisions – When employees understand the context and stories behind management’s decisions, they more readily support them.
3. Understanding of corporate identity – Tangible, memorable stories drive home core competencies and values throughout all levels of the organization.
4. Establishment of an aggressive vision – Stories that assure future rewards of “milk and honey” build excitement over time because they are memorable.

The crafty storyteller maintains a hold on reason while describing an adventure. Moses started with the facts as he reviewed his people’s history with them, which had to be understood before they could move toward the future. More than just a reminder of what they did, they understood in a new way who they were. He reestablished a once-noble identity to a new generation.

When we remind our own people of the stories of past successes and failures, they believe they can be successful again. They overcame their failures before; therefore, they can do it again. They triumphed with bouts of glory; they can rise to even higher heights. Through these realities and truths, we can inspire people’s imaginations about the adventure to come, no matter what challenging realities they face now.

For discussion....

As a leader, are you sure you’re getting the truth from your people?
Is there a meeting coming up where you could experiment with telling a fact-based story?
What story needs to be told to the entire company?