Disney and The Power of Story

I was immediately taken aback when I began to read the manual that was handed to participants in the Disney Institute Leadership class.  On the first page I found the following words.

"Beginning with Walt Disney himself, Disney leaders have used storytelling to perpetuate the Company's culture. . . Recognizing the "power of story" is the Disney difference in leadership."

If you don't understand my surprise, look up at the title of my blog (which was selected almost a year ago).  Apparently the Disney Company and I have a similar appreciation for the importance of narrative.

One of the tasks we were asked to accomplish as we gathered in our first session was to define what a leader is.  While the facilitator offered the definition--anyone who influences change, I preferred mine.  It takes seriously what the rhetoric in the manual suggested.  A bit wordy, but here it is--a good leader is a person who shapes a narrative reality in which other people want to participate.

A well told story has the ability to lead others to dream, believe, act and change.  Disney offers the rubric envision, organize, engage and commit as the ways stories can influence an organization to change.  The church has formed itself around the stories of the gospel, rather than some policy and procedure manual that Jesus left behind.

A question asked by the program was the long term measure of success for a leader.  Given that question, I suggested that the appropriate benchmark is the success of their followers.

Leaders are storytellers.  The best lead through compelling narrative.  And the best stories echo on through the ages inspiring the generations that follow to affirm the same values, practice the same behaviors and self-perpetuate.  There really is power in story.