Tag: storytelling

How important is it to have executive alignment?

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is about Executive team alignment. When we develop a company’s internal narrative, one of the most important outcomes is to have the Executive team speaking as one: ‘one team, one story, one voice’. If you have dissent amongst the top team, the narrative will not hold weight or have credibility as it travels through the organisation.

The first question to ask is why there’s concern about them being aligned behind the narrative in the first place. Of course, they’ll all have different perspectives; that’s normal, and our job at The Storytellers is to distill pages of conflicting views into a single, credible narrative (no mean feat, I can tell you). But there are times when universal buy-in can be difficult to achieve, and requires sensitive and careful facilitation and listening.

The uncomfortable truth is that sometimes leaders prefer to hide in muddy water, through fear of being ‘exposed’ or because of politics, where their personal agenda is threatened. This is where the power of our approach really comes into play. Giving each Executive a voice through a 1-1 session to solicit their input is an important part of the process. Facilitating a group conversation with skill, listening to objections and being able to read and respond to body language is essential to bring the potential blockers with you as the narrative develops. And encouraging boldness and honesty (the key to a believable narrative) about the weaknesses of and threats to the business – or even admission of not having ‘got it right’ or not having all the answers – will build trust, empathy and confidence in leaders. The stronger the antagonist in the story, the stronger its credibility. What’s not to like?

The power of the narrative is not simply the final output. It’s the process we take those leaders through – a process of continuous alignment alongside the iterations of the narrative. It’s how we achieve true buy-in, belief and ownership, which provides the rocket fuel needed to fire up the wider organisation. It’s also a great team-building exercise in its own right. And it’s why an artful narrative crafted by the communications department may not be as effective as one which has been co-created by the top team themselves.

We are incredibly proud of our track record in aligning Executive teams. The development of the narrative is often a cathartic process for them, even described as ‘therapy’ in many cases. Watching a once-sceptical team morph into one which is genuinely passionate about the story they’re about to share with their entire workforce is simply magic.

Webinar: Why activating your people is critical for successful M&A

60% of M&A executives list integrating people and culture as one of the most common reasons that deals are unsuccessful (Mergermarket).  With most studies deeming that 70-90% of M&A deals fail to deliver their stated objectives, de-risking your strategy by addressing this challenge is a critical element to build into your M&A playbook.

In this webinar we draw on 20 years of experience working with complex organisations during these defining moment events, supporting post-merger integration and the ongoing business journey to ensure investment value is realised for shareholders, and crucial talent is retained and galvanised to deliver the M&A vision long term.

Mark Bevan joins us, Partner at Global PMI Partners, acquisition and post-merger specialists with a track record of over 500 operational due diligence, acquisition integration, divestment, carve out and growth projects.

During the session, with insights from landmark deals and recent events, our panel of experts covered:

  • Why people and culture issues are so challenging to successful M&A, and how addressing existing organisational narratives is a critical unlock for success
  • How unifying organisational identity, and creating cultural alignment, through storytelling activates and accelerates the M&A strategy, protects required BAU activity and sustains momentum for the transformation
  • The core activities you should be building into your M&A playbook – with evidence of their impact on driving commercial objectives

Panellists:

  • Robert Tennant, Head of Client Strategy at The Storytellers
  • Mark Bevan, Partner at Global PMI Partners
  • Flora Clarke, Senior Consultant at The Storytellers
  • Marcus Hayes, Co-founder and Director at The Storytellers

Complete the form to watch the recording of the webinar now.

You can also contact members of our team if you have any questions:

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Kirsty Spencer: kirsty.spencer@thestorytellers.com

Webinar: Building organisational resilience and an innovation mindset

Navigating the storm webinar series

Session four

A leadership playbook for activating extraordinary performance in a world of volatility

In recent challenging times, such as the 2008 credit crunch and COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen and worked with organisations that seized opportunities to innovate and stayed focused on their purpose and ambition.  Those that did, bucked the negative trends experienced by the market in general and thrived.  

As organisations face the current hugely challenging global environment, this webinar reveals a proven storytelling methodology for creating the cultural resilience and innovation mindset that enables your people to activate a new level of performance. With examples and stories from complex businesses around the world, we share how people can be your unique differentiator and the key to future-proofing your organisation in difficult times.

Panellists:

  • Alison Esse, Co-founder and Director at The Storytellers
  • Flora Clarke, Senior Consultant at The Storytellers
  • Kirsty Spencer, Head of Marketing at The Storytellers

We covered:

  • How an authentic, purpose-driven story will provide clarity and focus, unify your organisation and build belief in the strategy
  • How to gain competitive advantage through storytelling techniques that encourage and uncover innovation, invaluable insights and commitment to drive change in every area of the organisation
  • What you need to do to maintain momentum, and create the psychological safety and resilience needed for leaders and their teams to remain focused in volatile times

We shared the methodology and techniques proven to drive performance, with tangible real-life examples you can use to build the resilience and innovation needed within your own culture.  

Enter your details to watch the webinar.

You can also contact any member of our Client Director team if you have any questions:

Lynn Archer: lynn.archer@thestorytellers.com

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Webinar: The power of change through mindset and storytelling with Open Water and Pfizer

Navigating the storm webinar series

Session two

A leadership playbook for activating extraordinary performance in a world of volatility

 

In the current climate of uncertainty and external threats, organisations need to harness the power of change to navigate the storm.  With research showing that 70% of change initiatives fail due to people-related issues, empowering your people will enable you to rebuild your organisation’s culture, connect teams, unify behaviours, and ensure a cohesive mindset. Combining our expertise in mindset and behaviours, and the power of storytelling to accelerate change, in this recent webinar senior leaders at Pfizer, Open Water and The Storytellers shared insights on how to implement change for commercial success, particularly in a hyper VUCA environment. Our experience and expertise in delivering successful, far-reaching transformation programs within the leadership teams of large, complex global organisations, means we have identified the patterns that make change challenging and the solutions to overcome them.

Panellists:

  • Jim Porter – Director of Executive Communications at Pfizer
  • Ben Green – Senior Consultant at The Storytellers
  • Ben Shoshan – Managing Director and Senior Consultant at Open Water

During this webinar, we covered: 

  • The most common barriers to change and the strategies to break these down
  • Insights from one of the most significant organisational transformations within Pfizer, during the Covid-19 pandemic
  • How addressing values, mindset and behaviours, and utilising storytelling will unify your people and allow you to harness the power of change to drive sustainable and successful commercial outcomes
  • The power of change through mindset and storytelling – with essential insights and key takeaways

Change is inevitable, but how you approach it is within your control.  Leaders can and must create a culture that is able to adapt, innovate and embrace ongoing change – and in this webinar, we shared how to do exactly that.

Enter your details to watch the webinar.

You can also contact any member of our Client Director team if you have any questions:

Lynn Archer: lynn.archer@thestorytellers.com

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Jessica Lonsdale: jessica.lonsdale@thestorytellers.com

Webinar: The human side of strategy activation to create extraordinary performance

Navigating the storm webinar series

Session five

A leadership playbook for activating extraordinary performance in a world of volatility

The ability to define, align around and execute the right strategy is a critical capability for organisations around the world. The speed at which strategy turns into meaningful action becomes a key competitive advantage. Yet many leaders miss their biggest opportunity to activate their strategy at pace. Their people.

In this webinar we shared how to rapidly connect people to strategy and turn understanding into action.

Panellists:

  • Hannah Moyo, Head of Consultancy at The Storytellers
  • Robert Tennant, Head of Client Strategy at The Storytellers
  • Marcus Iles, Chief Storytelling Officer at The Storytellers

We covered:

  • How effective executive narrative consultation can quickly align leadership teams and develop the influential storytelling capability essential for creating commitment to the strategic vision
  • Why emotional connection is the key determining factor in changing mindsets and behaviours – and essential for rapid activation
  • The techniques proven to quickly connect with diverse employee populations, and provide them with the means to deliver and sustain their role in the strategy

Watch our panel of business transformation, storytelling and performance activation experts, who draw on their experience working with C-suites of FTSE 250 and Fortune 500 organisations. Sharing the tactics and impact of a story-driven approach to drive strategy activation and derisk transformation investment, this was a stimulating discussion addressing your and other leaders’ current challenges. 

Enter your details to watch the webinar.

You can also contact any member of our Client Director team if you have any questions:

Lynn Archer: lynn.archer@thestorytellers.com

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Webinar: How leaders can galvanise their teams through recession

Navigating the storm webinar series

Session three

A leadership playbook for activating extraordinary performance in a world of volatility

Given the challenging circumstances most organisations are facing, the ability of leaders to navigate change and lead through uncertainty is now a critical capability. Leaders who can inspire mindset shifts, enable rapid behavioural change and bring focus and purpose see considerable performance benefits.  In fact, the human side of change and strategy activation is arguably the most critical factor determining success or failure. 

Storytelling is recognised as a key leadership skill.  However, the true potential of story is not limited to powerful communication techniques.  In this webinar, we shared how organisations can equip and enable leaders to lead effectively through uncertainty using storytelling, drawn from 20 years working with C-suites of Fortune 500, FTSE 250 and major global organisations.

Panellists are:

  • Alison Esse, Co-founder and Director at The Storytellers
  • Theni Paramaguru, Senior Consultant at The Storytellers
  • Robert Tennant, Head of Client Strategy at The Storytellers

We covered:

  • The key characteristics that define the influential leadership needed to ensure resilience in uncertain times
  • How these can be developed throughout entire leader and middle management populations in complex organisations
  • How storytelling will unify your people and galvanise them to drive performance 

You will come away from watching this session with actionable insights on how to use a story-driven approach to build leadership capability and drive strategy activation. 

Enter your details to watch the webinar.

You can also contact any member of our Client Director team if you have any questions:

Lynn Archer: lynn.archer@thestorytellers.com

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Jessica Lonsdale: jessica.lonsdale@thestorytellers.com

Webinar: Accelerating change and de-risking transformation during turbulent times

Navigating the storm webinar series

Session one – Watch on demand

A leadership toolkit for activating extraordinary performance in a world of volatility

It is a rare company that does not face serious, possibly unprecedented challenges over the coming year.  As well as the immediate problems of inflation, energy crisis and supply chain disruptions, CEOs and senior leadership teams face huge uncertainty as to the depth and longevity of the forecast turbulence ahead.  A bold, positive response is called for and research now overwhelming shows that a story-driven approach is a highly successful enabler of effective strategy activation.

Watch the recording of this webinar, where we share our experience and learnings across 200 major organisations on how C-suite executives can use the power and influence of storytelling to rapidly align leaders, inspire their people, accelerate change and de-risk transformation.

Panellists:

  • Robert Tennant, Head of Client Strategy at The Storytellers
  • Hannah Moyo, Head of Consulting at The Storytellers
  • Marcus Hayes, Co-founder and Director at The Storytellers

We cover:

  • Why the human element of any transformation strategy is critical
  • How storytelling uniquely accelerates change by creating emotional connection to the vision and driving behaviour change
  • How to align and equip leaders to navigate their teams through planned and unpredictable change

Enter your details to watch the webinar.

You can also contact any member of our Client Director team if you have any questions:

Lynn Archer: lynn.archer@thestorytellers.com

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Jessica Lonsdale: jessica.lonsdale@thestorytellers.com

Webinar: Making your EVP a reality, not just a promise

Date: 15 September 2022
Time:  4:00pm BST (11:00 EST, 10:00 CST)

Digital transformation, hybrid working and ‘The great resignation’ have led businesses to renew their strategic focus turning towards the platform on which organisations can build their employer brand and experience – the Employee Value proposition (EVP).

93 per cent of the organisations we are currently engaging with are revisiting their EVP. What we’re seeing is an EVP evolution, where having a distinctive and authentic EVP has never been more critical.

Join our panel of experts in this webinar, as they explore how leaders can harness the power of storytelling to create and elevate a standout EVP that helps organisations improve employee experience and attract the talent they need. 

Panellists are:

  • Marcus Iles, Chief Storytelling Officer at The Storytellers
  • Alison Esse, Co-founder and Director at The Storytellers
  • Hannah Moyo, Head of Consulting at The Storytellers

We’ll cover:

  • Why a standout EVP is now more important than ever.
  • How storytelling can strengthen and build belief in a company’s EVP – from candidates to employees and leaders.
  • How to align a leadership team behind the strategic, operational and behavioural priorities that underpin the EVP.

Enter your details to register for the webinar.

You can also contact any member of our Client Director Team if you have any questions:

Lynn Archer: lynn.archer@thestorytellers.com

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Jon White: jon.white@thestorytellers.com

Jessica Lonsdale: jessica.lonsdale@thestorytellers.com

Webinar: Activate your ESG strategy with storytelling

When it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy, ahead of us lies one of the biggest changes in mindset and strategy that the world has ever seen. However, for businesses to successfully deliver on this at the necessary pace and scale, they will also need to leverage the power of their people to make change happen.

During our webinar ‘Activate your ESG strategy with storytelling’ we unlocked the secrets of how storytelling can help leaders to accelerate their ESG strategy and drive bigger and bolder outcomes to maintain the long-term health of their business and our planet.

Panellists included Robert Tennant – Head of UK & International Development, and Flora Brown – Senior Consultant at The Storytellers are John Kjorstad – Chief Operating Officer at KPMG IMPACT and Marc Kaiser – Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations at Baloise Group, where they covered:

  • How to get buy-in: The ‘sit-up and take notice’ reasons why ESG should be top of the boardroom agenda
  • Shifting mindsets and behaviour: How storytelling can become a mechanism to leverage people around the challenge ahead
  • Sustaining momentum: How businesses can create a movement of change to ensure their ESG strategy continues to deliver over many years.

Enter your details to watch a recording of the webinar in full.

You can also contact any member of our Client Director Team if you have any questions:

Lynn Archer: lynn.archer@thestorytellers.com

Blane Sweeney: blane.sweeney@thestorytellers.com

Jon White: jon.white@thestorytellers.com

Jessica Lonsdale: jessica.lonsdale@thestorytellers.com