David Hutchens, the storytelling coach to leaders and teams, shares the why and how stories connect us, reveals and amplifies our humanity, and help drive transformative change in organizations.
The first secret David shares: While storytelling is a superpower we all innately possess, and yet most of us think we suck at it, you’re actually already pretty good at it. In fact, you’re wired for it.
And yet, in this conversation, he shares the one thing that even he needs again and again to be effective at it.
David is an author and CEO of The Storytelling Leader, and he joins us to share his experiences with his superpower, “Helping people awaken the more human parts of themselves.”
David wants us to know that stories are not just for retelling what happened. Stories are the beginning of something bigger. Stories can change the world, in fact, they always have.
While sharing the practical guidance he gives leaders, he is quick to point out that storytelling should not just be the domain of the top leader. All leaders at all levels of the organization can use storytelling to align, inspire, and motivate.
David shares that storytelling holds the awesome power of connection, meaning making, and transformation. Stories can connect us emotionally and inspire us. And when stories do that, it’s magnetic.
In this episode, David answers the following questions:
➡️ What is the secret to great storytelling?
➡️ What is the role of storytelling in transformative change?
➡️ What do leaders need to become great storytellers?
➡️ What is the impact of storytelling on culture?
Favorite quotes from the episode:
“Stories are the language of taking dismembered systems, remembering them, and making them whole.” David Hutchens
"Love is the only emotion that expands the intelligence of the system"
Humberto Maturana, Chilean Bioethicist, in "The Biology of Business:
Love Expands Intelligence"
“Stories connect us to the organization and bring us back to ourselves.” David Hutchens on the power of storytelling in times of change and transformation.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction & Welcome
4:59 Process for Working with Leaders
8:18 What does it Feel Like To Use Your Superpower
10:14 Balancing Emotions and Data in Storytelling
14:55 Working with Leaders to Become a Better Storyteller
19:50 How Stories Tap into Emotion Currents in a System
23:07 Adaptability and Storytelling
27:26 Fill Stories with Desired Behaviors to Drive Change
30:09 Inspiration for Superpower
33:02 WDYKTBT – The One Thing All Storytellers Needs
35:55 Building the Team Capability for Storytelling
38:46 How Much Discipline the Skill Requires
42:26 What’s Next for David
Music in this episode by Ian Kastner.
"What Do You Know To Be True?" is a series of conversations where I speak with interesting people about their special talent or superhero power and the meaningful impact it has on others. The intention is to learn more about their experience with their superhero power, so that we can learn something about the special talent in each of us which allows us to connect more deeply with our purpose and achieve our potential.
For more info about the podcast or to check out more episodes, go to: https://www.youtube.com/@WDYKTBT?sub_confirmation=1
"What Do You Know To Be True?" is hosted by Roger Kastner, is a production of Three Blue Pens, and is recorded on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Suquamish people. To discover the ancestral lands of the indigenous people whose land you may be on, go to: https://native-land.ca/
Keywords
#storytelling #leadership #transformation #change #connection #humanity
