Esther Choy, Author at Leadership Story Lab

The One Secret To Acing Your Performance Evaluation

Imagine this. It’s the end of the year. Multiple projects are behind schedule and over budget. You have family visiting over the holiday and your family will travel as well. On top of that, you have to prepare to evaluate your team even while you’re preparing for your own performance evaluation. Oh wait, what happened…

To Help People Tell Stories, DON’T Do This

In my house, we don’t watch TV on school nights. Tuesday, September 29, was a noted exception. My youngest, Melia, was especially excited. What could be so special and worthwhile that Mom and Dad would break their own rule? We turned on the TV and… “Shut up, man!” “There’s nothing smart about you.” Melia turned…

We’re Here To Support Your Job Search Success

My daughter turned 12 recently. When I was pregnant with her, a friend asked me, “Are you like… the first female student in the history of Kellogg School of Management to get pregnant?” Alina was born the summer between my first and second year as a full-time MBA student at Northwestern University – Kellogg School…

Want Your Business To Survive The Pandemic? Facilitate Stories.

During Covid, over 72,000 restaurants have permanently closed in the U.S. The National Restaurant Association reports that the industry lost $165 billion in sales between March and July, and that the pandemic has cost over 8 million restaurant employees their jobs. During hard times, companies hunker down, lay off workers, and cut costs. All of this is necessary.…

3 Storytelling Techniques To Steal From Jeff Bezos

Whether you are an entry-level employee or one of the richest people on earth, eventually everyone faces the same challenge. Everyone has to convey the essence of who they are. On July 29, 2020 when four big tech CEOs testified before Congress, Jeff Bezos crafted his testimony as if a member of Congress had asked…

Create A Story Library in 1 Minute Per Day

It’s pitch dark in the room and the floor feels exceptionally cold. I fumble my way to the closet only to trip over a book one of my kids left on the floor the night before. “It’s time for my swim,” I think. But deep in the morning haze, I forget that I am no…

The #1 Reason Authentic Business Storytelling Is So Difficult

“So, let’s go around the room—everybody say something about yourself so we can get to know each other.” This request is common at work and elsewhere, but it’s totally ineffective. That’s because when we are with strangers or acquaintances, it’s tough to talk about ourselves in genuine and relatable ways. Authentic business storytelling is incredibly…

4 Obstacles to Authentic Business Storytelling

The most common obstacle to authentic business storytelling is that it simply takes guts. But that’s hardly the only obstacle. Here are others. A Laundry List Authentic business storytelling can be hard when we have a laundry list of things we want to communicate about ourselves. Laundry lists are not stories. Recounting events is not…

A Storytelling Checklist for Job Interviews

At a time when every job opportunity matters, an easy-to-use storytelling checklist can be extremely useful. The U.S. economy saw a “modest recovery” in the early weeks of June 2020, as Shahar Ziv writes for Forbes. However, he notes that the recovery has been uneven. A disproportionate number of Black employees, in particular, are seeing…

Boost Productivity With This Storytelling Exercise

What if spending 15 minutes a day on a storytelling exercise boosted your work performance? Research has shown that when employees spent just 15 minutes per day reflecting on what they learned that day, they began to perform 23% better after just 10 days. This may sound overly simplistic, but think about moments when you…