Esther Choy, Author at Leadership Story Lab

How To Find Your Work’s Purpose Through Storytelling

Meghan Juday of IDEAL INDUSTRIES tells me it’s about leaving things better than you found them—in other words, good stewardship. Chris Herschend of Herschend Family Entertainment talks about leading a company that creates memories and working with a family committed to living, loving, and serving together. Kent Johnson asserts that children are the world’s most…

How To Introduce Business Storytelling Culture — And Change Your Workplace

Brian suspected that his all-department meeting had become a waste of an hour each week. A few people were sure to skip, while others would stare into space or constantly glance at the cell phone in front of them. The same two to three people gave input or asked questions when he presented company-wide updates,…

Powerful Visuals: How A Photographer And Nonprofit Leader Is Using Business Storytelling To Save The Florida Panther

Three years ago, I was visiting my favorite art museum, which was hosting a traveling photography exhibit. The exhibit was of portraits. Some were self-portraits (“selfies” from decades before the smartphone), with the subject telling the story of who they were in that moment through attire, expression, setting, and body language. Others were portraits of…

Business Storytelling Culture Can Improve Your Organization In 3 Big Ways

“No tribal chief or elder has ever handed out statistical reports, charts, graphs, or lists to explain where the group is headed or what it must do.” As management consultant and author Peg Neuhauser has emphasized, it’s the stories we tell that allow us to effectively lead and inspire others. Stories create our realities, preserve…

Why We Fail To Persuade Others—And What To Do Instead

A couple of weeks ago, I was riding my bike along Lake Michigan with my husband, when I toppled right over and fractured my foot. (Ouch.) I know I have two fractures in my ankle because I went to see a specialist—a highly-rated, experienced doctor I chose for his expertise. He discussed my condition and…

3 Ways To Increase Empathy And Embrace Diversity In The Workplace

Do an experiment with me: take a piece of chalk and go to your driveway or the sidewalk. Write a big lower-case “n” on the ground. Then call out someone in your family and have them stand over the top of the “n.” Ask them what letter they see. Point of view unmistakably shapes your…

4 Surprisingly Effective Audience Research Steps Most Speakers Don’t Take To Reach And Influence

Imagine writing a company-wide memo to hundreds of employees informing them of the exciting news: your company has sold! You heap praise on the buyer and on the ways this acquisition will impact business opportunities. You give some financial updates and talk about the company’s value through this development. After months of keeping it under…

How To Use Business Storytelling To Attract And Retain Talent

Rebecca is the HR Director for a uniforms wholesaler, and she has a frustrating problem. Employee turnover has been steadily increasing, and the resounding feedback from these exiting employees is they feel invisible and inconsequential at the company. Their work feels mundane and meaningless, and they don’t feel like their efforts are recognized. As she…

5 Leadership Storytelling Quotes For Keeping Audiences In Suspense

Many leaders wonder what they can do to keep audiences hanging on their every word during presentations. These five leadership storytelling quotes provide the answers. 1. “Good suspense… is really about creating situations that are relatable, and throwing a wrench in it and watching how people respond.” – Jason Blum, filmmaker and producer Your story…

3 Secrets To Building Trust With Your Virtual Team

It’s Monday morning. Your team of 18 is ready to meet at 10:00AM, Eastern time. Seven of them are in your office in New York City. Two of them are in Atlanta, while another three are in San Francisco and in Chicago. The rest are in Tokyo. Depending on your business, you may be working…