Posts by Esther Choy
Cultivate Curiosity: A Simple Way To Navigate The Holidays
This month on Forbes.com, I shared about the necessary skill of leaning into our incomprehension when we encounter people and situations we don’t understand. I was inspired by the work of author Ann Morgan. She shares about the revelatory experience of learning to be comfortable with discomfort in her forthcoming book Relearning To Read: Adventures…
Read MoreStorytelling Unlocks New Tool “What’s Your Enough?” To Empower Families
“What is enough?” That question seems starkly at odds with the widely accepted assumption that more is always better. Authors and family philanthropy advisors Elaine Gast Fawcett of PhilanthroComm and Sue Schwartzman of Schwartzman Advisors found this question coming up when working with donors and families. They wrote a children’s book, Two Measly Spots, to…
Read MorePerformance Reviews: 3 Simple Storytelling Tips To Make You Succeed
No one loves annual performance reviews. While they are necessary to make sure employees and employers are staying on track and striving for growth, the process is time consuming and nerve racking for both the managers and the employees. So how can you make the process more enjoyable for both you and your manager — while…
Read More3 Simple Elements You Need To Tell A Riveting Business Story
Valerie’s team was ready for the presentation. They demonstrated their knowledge and experience, relying on logic and facts. Valerie felt confident that they outpaced all the competitors in the expertise needed to win this $50M project. Since the procurement process was public, Valerie was able to watch the other teams present their pitches. She saw…
Read MoreData-Driven Leader Finds Storytelling To Be Crucial Leadership Skill
Kennith Jackson (KJ), Director of Professional Services, AI Solutions at Google, realized that storytelling was a crucial leadership skill. Specifically, his team experienced a major transition, and he needed to be able to explain their purpose and impact persuasively. So he came to Leadership Story Lab for coaching. After working with me for 12 weeks,…
Read MoreWant To Build Trust? Here Are 3 Stunningly Simple Tips
How well do you know your audience? Not just the superficial data about buying habits and demographics, but truly know someone? From presidential candidates seeking votes to consumer brands interested in increasing customer loyalty, the holy grail for leaders is understanding their audience. How do you build trust with someone? The best way to get…
Read MoreLeadership Development Course Celebrates The Art of Story Facilitation
Unlocking Leadership Transformation through Story Facilitation Leadership Story Lab celebrates the graduation of its newest cohort of Certified Story Facilitators (CSF). A unique program designed for leadership transformation through storytelling facilitation, CSF graduates are equipped with facilitation skills and storytelling curricula that allow them to empower others to tell their stories. Unlike most storytelling courses,…
Read MoreNow Tell Me More: Q&A with Genuinely Curious Malin Leschly
What does a chief designer of a global tech company actually do? How did a pot scrubber play a pivotal role in her career? Why does she ask the stunningly simple question, “Tell me more,” nearly everyday? All of these questions and more are answered in my interview with Logitech’s Chief Design Officer Malin Leschly.…
Read More5 Fantastic Novels That Business Leaders Need To Read Now
Still looking for the perfect summer read? Novels for business leaders can help us recharge while simultaneously building up our leadership skills without any jargon or esoteric theories. Social scientists demonstrate the power of great stories to help us grasp complexities — and what is leadership if not complexity? Novels for business leaders can help…
Read More3 Keys For How To Turn Data Dumps Into Persuasive Presentations
Here’s a story about two people who are persuaded to make two different decisions: At a store when the clerk mentions the lottery jackpot has climbed to $32 million, Lydia responds, “I’m feeling lucky. I’ll buy a ticket!” Janet, an insurance underwriter also in line, uses expected value calculation and decides not to. Lydia allows…
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