Who’s Your Storyteller-in-Residence?

I've realized how uncommon a strong brand story is today. Many companies launch without a strong narrative. Others evolve but never update their narrative. This kind of work can seem like something you do "someday". When you don't make time for it, however, you can feel unmoored.

If I haven't convinced you of the need for a foundational narrative, here's what other people think:

In a recent post, Dave Hersh, former CEO of Jive Software and advisor/coach/entrepreneur, encouraged people not to focus on short term indicators. Executives, employees, and board members who can't articulate the strategy, he says, are one indication of a company too focused on quarterly numbers. He explains, "Communication of the strategy is as important as the strategy itself, so ensure your 'aggressive but achievable' plan is clear to everyone."

One thing to not forget is that you need to include your audience—specifically customers and partners—in your narrative. As Mark Bonchek, founder of Shift Thinking, suggests, your shared purpose with your customers should anchor the narrative:

The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that you and your customer are working toward together. It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world. It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from consumer to co-creator.

One of my mentors and colleagues, Patti Sanchez, goes so far as to say that companies should have a folklorist on staff to safeguard and evolve the story. It's that important.

Want to see an example? My client, Sourcegraph, created what they call a "Master Plan". It focuses the whole company on how they will become the developers' tool of the future.

Sales teams, especially, need stories. Brandon Cassidy suggests, "You should be able to pitch and communicate what you do at a 50,000 foot level, 500 foot level, and a 5 foot level. You wouldn’t believe the number of startups out there who simply cannot clearly explain what they do at ANY level. That’s a problem. You are telling a story. That story needs to be clear, unique, and compelling for you to have ANY chance."