Authors: Graham Williams (pictured left) is a regular contributor to Management Today magazine and a thought leader for the IMCSA.
Dorian Haarhoff, co-author of The Halo and the Noose, is a poet, writer and mentor who is steeped in story. Together they consult and teach the use of stories to enhance businesses and brands.
Contact the authors at www. h a l o a n d n o o s e . c om
and company knowledge ends up in the ‘clouds’ – actually on an Apple, Google, or Amazon server, somewhere. Is it safe, secure, able to be mined by only yourself, and still really under your control?
Some story wisdom We live in a “bricks and clicks” world where hi-tech needs to be matched with hi-touch. Here are two stories from the Halo and Noose that speak to this need:
A man visited his ancient grandfather in a rural village. One morning he watched the old man draw up water from the well hand over fist, the bucket attached to a rope. He approached him. “Grandfather, I can devise a pulley which I’ll suspend over the well. All you have to do is turn your wrist and the bucket of water will rise to the surface.” The old man thought a while then declined. “I don’t think so. For then only my wrist will get exercise. My body will be left out of the work.”
The young man went away shaking his head.
A salesperson is trying to sell a television to a chief in an African village. The chief has an official storyteller in his tribe. “Chief, my television knows plenty of stories. This television knows more stories than your storyteller.” The chief responds, “Yes, it is true that your television might know more stories than my storyteller. But my storyteller knows me.”
Have a conversation each time you consider or evaluate the adoption of new technology. And during your conversation heed the advice of Æsop’s tortoise and hare story. ‘Among the firms that have been most successful in connecting with their customers, we have not seen a mood of panic over the rate of change or a sense of dread about the cataclysmic implications of technology ... For the most part, these companies
82 Management Today | December 2011
have taken a fairly balanced and evolutionary approach to incorporating new technologies and new customer relationship strategies into their businesses, and they have learnt along the way’.3
Zorba the Greek reinforces the wisdom of a balanced approach: ‘Clever people and grocers, they weigh everything’.
Sinek has postulated that people don’t buy what we do and how we do it (left brain logic), but rather because of what we believe (right brain emotion). They buy our passion and purpose, our story.4
References 1. Goodall, Chris, Ten Technologies to Fix Energy and Climate, Green Profile, Great Britain 2008 2. Williams, Graham & Haarhoff, Dorian The Halo and the Noose, Graysonian Press 2009 3. Customer Success Stories.
http://www-03.ibm.com/innovation/us/ smarterplanet/
midmarket.html#/sect-engines 4. Sinek, Simon, Start With Why, Penguin 2009
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