Leanda Lee
“The best speakers are good storytellers. The best writers are good storytellers. The best leaders are good storytellers.” – Rodger Dean Duncan
Power and influence can come from unexpected sources. The generally accepted five bases of power, both formal and personal are well documented: legitimate power per virtue of an official position; coercive power to reprimand or punish, as an employer may of a subordinate; reward power to bestow incentives such as pay increases; expert power that comes from an individual’s expertise and knowledge in an area of activity or profession; and referent power through being respected and admired as is wielded by charismatic athletes, entertainers and public figures or gained through social capital and connections. The first three formal powers are explicit in a society like Macau, but the last two are the most effective and, in combination, enduring. People are drawn to people with these latter qualities and are happy to be led by them.
A visit to my alma mater and a seminar on storytelling for use in change management suggested ways to increase personal power and persuasion. Aristotle’s appeals of logos, pathos and ethos describe ways to persuade others. Western business schools overwhelmingly (and, I believe, short-sightedly) base their curricula on logos: students are given the tools to collect data and through a process of analysis and delivery of findings aim to develop a logical argument to support their business ideas. The business world is supposed to be based upon this rationality but ignoring the other two appeals can be a career and status death knell in a place like Macau where logos is not necessarily the prevalent mode. We are more readily persuaded by the people we know, like and trust. The credibility that comes from social capital, connections and the development of referent power puts ethos standing taller than logos. Interestingly those with ethos-based power are often also bestowed with legitimate formal positions of power in our SAR. The last mode of pathos, an appeal to a follower’s emotion, has been and still is formally distained in professions. It is, however, a very strong motivator: it relies upon the speaker and listener having values in common; it dangerously doesn’t rely on educational and intellectual parity.
We remember that which touches the heart, and even better if we can connect with those events, ideas and the speaker at a personal level. We forget and are often not sold on cold hard evidence or reams of data. Stories offer us all a way to persuade and build personal power through imbuing logos (facts) with ethos (credibility) and pathos (emotion). In turn, knowing these methods also opens our eyes to purposeful attempts to persuade us.
Stories are captured, told and listened to, and then create their own acts. Authentic springboard stories explain why something should be done: they build a case, triggering a response for listeners to act. They encourage people to take a leap into the unknown, which is an important mechanism in change management. Some stories build trust and connection through sharing something of ourselves, putting us in a favourable light – these are the personal stories, building ethos, often starting with a “let me share something about myself”. Stories are effective because they produce a chemical response. A good story starts with tension that hooks us in, engaging the listener. We make some connection with the protagonist. We want to hear how it turns out and that resolution at the end of the story, that moment of closure, releases the tension and delivers a dopamine hit – a story fix.
Stories are addictive. Stories are powerful. We need more leaders with stories as through the telling of them they inspire and show their values, depth of experience, understanding, and character. It goes to partly explain why we love a good storyteller.
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