Story Driven: You Don’t Need to Compete When You Know Who You Are

134 Pages·2018·0.66 MB·English

by  Bernadette Jiwa

‘The greatest way to live with honour in this world is to
be what we pretend to be.’
—Socrates
Copyright © 2018 by Bernadette Jiwa All rights reserved.
Published in Australia by Perceptive Press.
www.thestoryoftelling.com
National Library of Australia Publication Data available via
www.nla.gov.au
ISBN: 978-0-9944328-1-0
Printed in the United States of America
Cover Design: Reese Spykerman Interior Design: Kelly Exeter
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
For Adam, Kieran and Matthew—the making of me.
And for Aimee and Leanne.
Your Dad would be so proud of who you are.
CONTENTS
Preface
Who Are You—And Why Do You Need to Know?
We Are More Powerful Than We Think
Introduction
Two Kinds of Companies
The Downside of Playing to Win
Redefining Greatness
Move Intentionally and Build Things
Part One
The Reason
Meaning Is a Competitive Advantage
Narrative and Identity
Who Do You Think You Are?
The Narrative Effect
The Business of Story
Story As Strategy
The Story-Driven Framework
Part Two
Building a Story-Driven Company
Courage and Conviction
Maximum Impact
The Power of Your Backstory
The Importance of Values
The Value of Purpose
Vision
Strategy
Case Stories
Tesla
Emma Bridgewater Pottery
Miss Gertrude Salon
Wikipedia
Les Mills Group
Same Day Dental
Finland’s Baby Welcome Kits
James Day Wedding Photography
The Virgin Group
The Michelin Group
IKEA
Heat Holders Thermal Socks
Small Giants
Melbourne’s Happiest Tram Driver
Fiasco Gelato
Part Three
Developing Your Story-Driven Strategy
Conclusion
The Making of Us
Creating the Future We Want to See
Resources
References
Acknowledgements
About the Author

PREFACE
‘To know who you are is the greatest power of all.’
—Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love
Every one of us—regardless of where we were born, how we were brought
up, how many setbacks we’ve endured or privileges we’ve been afforded—
has been conditioned to compete to win. Ironically, the people who create
fulfilling lives and careers—the ones we respect, admire and try to emulate—
choose an alternative path to success. They have a powerful sense of identity.
They don’t worry about differentiating themselves from the competition or
obsess about telling the right story. They tell the real story instead. Successful
organisations and the people who create, build and lead them don’t feel the need
to compete, because they know who they are and they’re not afraid to show us.
How about you?
What do you stand for?
Where are you headed and why?
What’s been the making of you?
What will make your career or company great?
You must be able to answer these questions if you want to build a great
company, thriving entrepreneurial venture or fulfilling career. Whether you’re an
individual or you’re representing an organisation or a movement, a city or a
country, Story Driven gives you a framework to help you consistently articulate,
live and lead with your story. This book is about how to stop competing and start
succeeding by being who you are, so you can do work you’re proud of and
create the future you want to see.
WHO ARE YOU—AND WHY DO YOU NEED TO
WHO ARE YOU—AND WHY DO YOU NEED TO
KNOW?
Who are you? In a connected world of less-linear career paths and more
opportunities to influence change, this is the big question of our time—the most
important question anyone starting a career or a company, and building a life and
a legacy, can ask. Our answers can help us to consistently act with integrity and
to differentiate ourselves or our organisations by being more, not less, of who we
are. But it’s a question we have stopped asking in the age of comparison.
Sure, we may have done a bit of personality profiling here and there or had
an offsite retreat to work on our branding and external messaging, but these
attempts to label ourselves don’t often get to the heart of what makes us unique.
In a digital world, as the village becomes global, it’s never been more important
to have a powerful sense of identity and to avoid the temptation of just
competing to win.
When I was a kid, and maybe when you were, too, every professional or
craftsperson in the village, from the doctor to the baker, knew the particular role
he or she played in the community. The people who ran businesses did so with
pride. They had a purpose. They were clear about their values and the difference
they made. In a globalised world, without the grounding of the village, we don’t
always have that sense of being visible, contributing members of tight-knit
groups or local neighbourhoods. So, in a commercial environment, we have tried
instead to understand our competitive advantage. We have become reactive to
the competitive landscape, rather than responsive to the needs of our
communities—those people we hope to serve. We are so focused on the
competition, or even the threat of it, that we’ve forgotten to double down on
what makes us and our work unique and valuable.
It’s hard to figure out how to be great at what you do, in the way only you
can do it, by focussing on what everyone else is doing. My goal is to give you an
alternative—a way to discover (or rediscover) and stay true to who you are and
to remain conscious of how your contribution can impact the world.
WE ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN WE THINK