Stories That Matter

Author: Robert Killen, Director of Lane Small Business Development Center

“What defines your business?”

Of all the opening lines I have used in corporate presentations, this is the one I’ve used most often. Because it causes one to ponder.

Are you defined by your mission, vision and values? No. These are markers and reminders of the business you aspire to become. One hopes that they are reflected in your definition, but they are not the definition themselves.

How about your works? Surely one should be able to say that the value we create defines who we are. Right? That would be nice. But many companies do fantastic work that very few people know about, leaving them largely undefined.

What about financial results? As a past banker I can say that financials do provide an excellent view of what is happening within a business’ operations. But there is so much more to a business than is captured in the numbers: culture, communication, leadership, etc.

In the end, a business is most meaningfully defined by the collective story that is wrapped around it.

This collection includes stories of mission success, of values being lived, of the business’s foundation, and others. But simply understanding this is not good enough.

Businesses start behind.

For decades marketing researchers have known that consumers are more likely to share a bad experience than a good one. That bodes poorly in this age of instant and hyper-connected communication. Twenty years ago, a bad interaction might get shared with a handful of family and friends and go nowhere. Today that same interaction might easily reach tens of thousands within an hour and cross continents in the process.

One juicy misstep this morning could completely redefine your company by 5:00.

Since you can never predict a misstep, the only defense is to proactively curate your identity. Find the stories that communicate your work, your mission, your values…all those experiences that illustrate the best you have to offer. Share them widely.

Your employees need regular reminders of your accomplishments, otherwise they get too easily lost in the grind.

Your customers will gladly sing your praises once you give them examples to relate to.

Even your managers, who spend an inordinate amount of time focused on problems, will benefit from the reminder of the positive work being accomplished every day.

It comes down to this…

Your story defines you. Will you tell it yourself? …or leave it chance?