Weekend Leadership Reading: 1/18/19

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Weekends are time when things slow down a little. Your weekend shouldn’t be two more regular work days. That’s a sure road to burnout. Take time to refresh yourself. Take time for something different. Take time for some of that reading you can’t find time for during the week.

Here are choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms. This week there are articles about stories, why they’re important and how to use them in business.

From Ed Yong: The Desirability of Storytellers

“Among Filipino hunter-gatherers, storytelling is valued more than any other skill, and the best storytellers have the most children.”

From Irving Wladawsky-Berger: Human Beings Need a Story

“It wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t have much use for probabilities in our daily life, – outside of weather reports, election predictions, baseball and financial markets. But that’s all changed with the growing datafication of the economy and society. Probabilities have been playing an increasing role in our work and personal life given our newfound ability to quantify just about anything. In all kinds of everyday situations, – from medical diagnoses to financial decisions, – we now have to accept the fact that it’s impossible to predict what will actually happen. Instead, we have to get used to living in a complex world of uncertainties and probabilities. We have to learn how to deal with the very messy world of big data, and how to best apply our learning to make good decisions and predictions.”

From Michael McKinney: What’s Your Story?

“WHAT GREAT LEADERS have in common is their ability to communicate and create meaning from their words. Much of that ability speaks to the ability to listen and read between the lines to develop an understanding with those you lead. Great stories begin with great listening. From there you can learn how to connect your perspective to theirs.”

From Esther Choy: 5 Quotes That Teach You Everything You Need To Know About Leadership Storytelling

“In my book Let the Story Do the Work, I’ve provided tools, templates and examples to help leaders sharpen their business storytelling skills quickly. The quotes below all played a role in shaping my book and the tools it contains. If you need a crash course in business storytelling, they are a great place to start.”

From Tanmay Vora: Storytelling: Begin With The End in Mind

“Stories and narratives that touch us emotionally have power to transform us. When hearing a moving speech, story or talk, we feel that it is delivered effortlessly but we know it doesn’t happen on its own.”

My post: How to Tell a Story to Your Kids or Your Customers

Book Suggestions

Let the Story Do the Work: The Art of Storytelling for Business Success by Esther Choy

The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion through the Art of Storytelling by Annette Simmons and Doug Lipman

Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You’ll Ever Need by Margot Leitman

Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire by Paul Smith

Every week I share some recommendations of business books that I think are worth a look. Follow this link to the most recent list.

Every Monday, I do a blog post about business reading and business books. Follow this link to my review of It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work.

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