The big fuss about storytelling.

Maria Popova from Branpickings explains very eloquently what wise storytelling conveyed by means of art or leadership is fundamentally about, and the role it plays in any organisation or ones personal life.

Storytelling might not give an definite answer to “What’s life all about?” although it might help us live with our uncertainty. Psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz, revealing the true importance of not only art/storytelling in society, but also help with crafting them.

“In my 25 years of practising psychoanalysis, I can’t recall anyone ever asking me this question [what’s the point of it all?]. Patients do ask what’s the point of doing such-and-such or being married to so-and-so. And I’ve been asked—more than once—“what’s the point of analysis?”

Typically, the people who come to see me are in pain. They may be confused, or anxious, or depressed but, more often than not, their complaints are specific. They might be suffering because their husband has died, their marriage has collapsed, or they can’t find someone to love. They don’t ask ‘what’s the point?’ They don’t want to know the meaning of life—they want the suffering to stop so they can live their lives.

Often, part of the suffering is that they can’t articulate it. Pain is resistant to language; it can reduce us to a stage before language—to the confusion and anguish, the cries we had before we had words. Karen Blixen said, ‘All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them.’ But what if a person can’t tell a story about his sorrows? Experience has taught me that there are stories that we never found a way to voice, because no one helped us to find the words. When we cannot find a way of telling our story, our story tells us—we dream these stories, we develop symptoms, or we find ourselves acting in ways we don’t understand. My job as a psychoanalyst is to help others find a way of telling their story.” STEPHEN GROSZ

Furthermore, Ray Bradbury provides an glimpse of the restorative and cleansing function of art, not only as a means of self-discovery of an artist, but also so for audiences. Artists providing words to our shared, untold stories regarding the predicament of being human.

“Organisations …

Organisations that think clearly, design clearly.

Oliver Reichenstein

The master of ceremonies.

Some of the most creative and persuasive people in the world are at the same time enormously credulous. To believe in something for which there is yet no evidence, you need to be. Much like artists they live and believe a lie to be able to communicate it as a truth yet to manifest. As in the example of Steve Jobs, there was no evidence that the vision of the Iphone turn out to be such a success, but how else would you convince thousands (if not millions) of people that it would be? By a dormant, and yet unarticulated gut-feeling of the multitude brought forth and convincingly articulated by one individual.

What you do.

Computers have no vision.

Computers are excellent at managing people distributed over a network but terribly inadequate at leading them.

Marketing networks well led

We are moving from marketing campaigns well managed to marketing networks well led. The difference being that management, if not paying people money, is powerless at making them do things they don’t want to i.e. contribute, share and spread “the word”. Leadership however rallies people around causes and is all about volition, people working for passionately 24/7, no desk, sick-leave or vacation.

Believe it.

Leadership is not just formulating a vision, it’s actually believing it.

The psychology of happy brands.

American Philosopher Daniel Dennett once said that “the secret of happiness is to find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it”.

Is there such a thing as a “happy” brand? I don’t mean that in this “teletubbie” sense of the word, but rather in the sense of showing integrity and a quiet sense of confidence and authenticity. If there is such a thing, those making up that brand must have found something more important than themselves to dedicate their life to. What fuels this self-forgetfulness on a grand scale? What are the implications for social media strategies? Is your brand miserable? Needs a shrink?

Characteristics that we find attractive in people also applies to brands.