“True Story: How to Combine Story and Action to Transform Your Business” is the title of a recently published book on the power of doing what you say. The author, Ty Montagne, is the former president of one of the largest advertizing agencies in the United States. It can be assumed that he knows what he is talking about regarding the Art of Storytelling and of transforming an ugly duckling into a graceful swan or selling the idea that Brand X laundry detergent washes “whiter than white”…. Nothing new, you say, everyone knows the old adage “Walk the talk”. But this is exactly the point, today’s society doesn’t react in the old way of doing things. Advertizing is no longer convincing and it is no longer because companies tell great stories and make people talk about them that consumers believe in their products and services. Today’s consumers want more, especially more for their money. The same goes for the candidate, your future employee.
The 4 pillars of power of “Storydoing”** according to Ty Montagne portrays all the players in a situation:
– The participants (customers, employees, partners and, I will add,…. the candidates)
– The protagonist (your organization)
– The stage: The organization’s environment
– The quest: Pursuit of your organization’s objective and its ambition to contribute to society.
Applying this to hiring and the talent management strategy, there is a great benefit to including all stakeholders. In fact your employees will not be all that loyal and will especially be attracted by others, so you have every interest in not telling them stories and in playing the transparency card. It’s a question of not breaking the bond of trust, an essential ingredient in high performance talent management and harmonious work relationships. From another viewpoint, your candidates are your prospects. The concept of “storydoing” takes its full meaning here because you are better off giving them the right information and doing what you said in a selection interview… Then comes your organization. What is its DNA? How does it express its values and culture? What is the short and medium term plan? What is the style of the CEO and managers? In this regard, the role of the HR staff is also one of educating and training managers to be better “storydoers”. Beyond their objectives to be achieved and the pressure they sometimes endure, it’s necessary to make them able to express their ambitions and projects in concrete actions and gestures so their staff better understands their leaders’ global vision. Younger generations in particular want to understand why we ask them (impose sometimes) to follow certain processes, policies or rules. Once management’s vision is clearly explained, even in times of difficulty or recession, they are more inclined to follow.
An example is this conversation that I recently had with a manager of an organization undergoing transformation. I’ll spare you the details, but in summary this is a company that reinvented itself 100% from its base product that it had been manufacturing for decades to its strategies and talents. A bit like Samsung, a grocer that was selling noodles in 1938 and now reigns the Galaxy of cell phones…. Since one cannot reinvent oneself without “breaking some eggs”, you can imagine that the company I’m talking about had to undergo a profound transformation involving major changes in the composition of talents, among others. Clearly, there were significant layoffs. In short, the manager I was talking to was very positive about the future, enthusiastic about the business plan. Of course laying off 50% of their staff affected them but she felt that beyond the sacrifice it permitted them to save the company and revive it in another form. She never hid it from former employees and colleagues (and friends for some, she told me), she faced it and explained, demonstrated and supported the vision of her CEO and Board. She personally supported many members of her staff in the process and didn’t seek to simply cover herself with an outplacement package. One of the best comments came to her from a former employee who she had to let go and who told her before leaving, “I know that you are doing it for the good of the company. It’s not my business but at least I have contributed to a great adventure. Thanks and good luck!”. I know that some will want to scream scam and scandal to increase share value and enrich shareholders but listening to her I sensed the authenticity and a real desire to do something that matters even if the price is hard to take. With too much cynicism sometimes, we forget that there are also commendable ambitions and bosses who care both about their employees and the health of their organization. This company didn’t announce anything in the newspapers, made no advertising hype and didn’t seek to attract public attention. It will certainly not be a candidate for the next best employer list but it is focused on its history and accomplishing its plan by involving all stakeholders in the process.
A question of timing… When the planet goes into emergency mode and financial crisis, there are those who wait while the ship is sinking and watch powerless as events unfold and then there are those who engage in the battle to survive and adapt to a new environment or new markets. The price is heavy to pay in both cases but the courage and vision of the second category can be applauded. The storydoers belong there. They don’t just tell good stories, they experiment with their staff and partners and are fully engaged.
We recognize a good storyteller not only by their ability to tell a good story but to live a collective adventure. A lesson with Fred Pellerin with that?
**To find out more: http://storydoing.com