How you gain the support of others - the process of narrative leadership

Some do it on their own and are successful. Others have to make an effort. But everyone wants it.

Who doesn't want to be heard? Win a new customer? Inspire employees for a new initiative? Support an innovation or cost saving? Bringing companies together after a successful acquisition?

The list is long. Perhaps you are familiar with one situation or another. You just need some acceptance and support from others.

Arguments are not enough

Good logic and reasoning is probably the first thing we all do when we have doubts. Without doubt, we need to convince ourselves and we need reasons to be convinced of an idea or a solution ourselves. Only then can we convince others.

But often all we get is an embarrassed shake of the head and hesitant or insufficient support. Arguments alone are not enough. They help to feed the head. But they don't reach the heart.

Stories without a system are not enough

Stories are a remedy. They arouse emotions, empathy and help to visualize and convey knowledge. They are powerful. Especially in combination with arguments.

But are they enough?

They certainly help to see the issue (idea, solution). At best, they set a thought process in motion. The audience recognizes that it could be something.

Nevertheless, it happens again and again that stories miss their target. There are many reasons for this. Perhaps the most important is that it takes a certain amount of effort to let the new idea or solution into one's life. It is not yet compatible with what you previously thought about yourself and the world.

The process of narrative leadership

What now?

A little anecdote. All marketers have this problem. They send their advertising messages on all channels at all times. They personalize, adapt and hope for positive effects with minimal chances of success. Seth Godin (well-known creative marketing guru) described the phenomenon. And he has formulated a solution and shown a way forward that represents one, if not the only, option in the world of media overstimulation.

He suggested forming a "community". A community that has a common problem and is looking for a solution (for which you by chance have a solution). The way to form and find this community is through storytelling. But not just any story. There are three types. Here he refers to Marshall Ganz, who learned to mobilize communities through many political initiatives. This also applies to Obama. Marshall Ganz has shaped the public narrative and underpinned it with three types of stories:

Why us: Stories about the common problem. Something that triggers the dissonance between the way things are and the way things should be. The stories about it activate those who also have the problem. At least they listen. They are attentive. For those who don't feel addressed, the community is nothing.

Why me: Stories of why you (as an individual) or as an organization got involved with this issue. What is the origin. What things or values guide me? Why do I care about this topic? Can I show and tell my leadership through testimonials from customers?

Innovation and strategy drive me. I've experienced for myself what it's like when the wind blows strongly from the front. Of course, you can't do anything about it, but I don't think that's proactive.

The "why me" stories are the leader's stories. He wants something to change. He wants to inspire the others and help them to solve the common problem.

Back to the three questions:

Why now: It's more neutral stories, figures, data and facts. Or the arguments and logic you have anyway. They show the balance of power and help to understand what happens if you ignore the idea or solution. And what is to be gained by accepting the idea.

But is that enough? Perhaps. In many cases, yes. But finding and telling stories takes time. It can get even better. In the effectiveness of winning others over to the idea.

Empathy (Jobs to be done, obstacles and reputation): Clay Christensen has developed the concept of jobs to be done in his books. These are the things that customers need to do. These are the things you have to understand, otherwise you can't develop and sell a solution. The concept is not just the job (like mowing the lawn), but also has an emotional and social component in addition to the functional one. Emotional means how the buyer wants to feel. And who he interacts with or who sees what he does - the social component.

The concept of jobs to be done also looks for influences that pull and push the decision in certain directions. Additionally, you look for the things that keep someone from adopting the idea or solution.

I think you gain something by being a little clearer in some places. Specifically look for obstacles such as inertia, apathy, fear, isolation, self-doubt and ways to overcome them. Also use simple reputation models (with factors such as emotional appeal, products and services, vision and leadership, work environment, financial performance, social responsibility) to assess how reputation changes when someone adopts your idea. Or what you can do to improve the reputation?

This stage of empathy can only be achieved through observation and interviews. They help you understand your audience and draw the narrative map.

Narrative map: The narrative map is all the things that are buzzing around in your audience's heads for and against. Something like "it could be cheaper" or "it's only for techies". These are the spontaneous pros and cons that you have heard from many people. Draw these narratives on a map. Sort them according to the degree of dissemination (widespread or deeply rooted) and cultural depth (long history, linked to emotional events). The strong and deeply rooted narratives must be addressed. Through reinterpretation or with a counter-narrative. But the other narratives are also important and must fit in with your catalytic narrative.

Catalytic narrative: This is the narrative you have developed. It connects the ideas (rejection or approval) of your customers and points in a good direction (for which you offer a solution).

Example. Imagine you are the driving force behind a company acquisition. You know you are gaining scale, additional capabilities and more control over the value chain. But does that help you when you explain this to your old and new employees? They are probably very unsettled. Because the takeover may have an impact on them. Well, if you know that employees respond positively to narratives such as performance improvement, cultural integration, change management, visionary leadership, customer-centric leadership or employee engagement, you will communicate better by building the bridge between your arguments and the positive topics for employees with your catalytic narrative.

Happy stories: The final step is to continually collect and tell stories that fit your catalytic narrative. Keep the sorting according to Marschall Ganz: Why us? Why me? Why now? This structure is good because it creates attention, desire and drive. Only this time, all the stories fit under the umbrella of your catalytic narrative. You can address local specifics, but stay on the same page, consistent and effective. You have increased the relevance of your stories. You reach hearts and deliver good arguments. You say why it is important for you to bring the idea or solution to the world.

Let me end with a little anecdote. I was at an event organized by a tobacco company. The country head was talking about the big shift away from cigarettes to modern electronic solutions. He emphasized that the decision was made by the parent company in the USA. And that it was clear to everyone that the actual core product was disappearing. I asked the country head whether there was any personal history with the US head of the group that was connected to this decision. The answer was that nothing was known. However the decision came about, regulatory pressure, pressure from lobbyists or fear of massive recourse claims, it would be more credible if it had also come from the inner motivation of the Group management. You can do better from now on!