“Bran thought about it. ‘Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?’
‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.”
― George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Yes, I know it’s not “family friendly.” Yes, I know it’s crass and graphic. Yes, I also know it’s one of the best examples of storytelling I can use, and today’s Diff is about story telling.
Game of Thrones Season 6 debuted Sunday night. (Don’t spoil it! She and I DVR’d it and are watching it soon!) I don’t ever remember looking forward to a TV series premier before, let alone in the last several years. But George R. R. Martin, and the producers and directors of the TV adaptation of his novels are superb story tellers.
They prove a key point, for those of us in the business of selling something, which, in a capitalistic system, pretty much means all of us. The point is this: The subject of the story doesn’t even have to be appealing to the intended recipient in order for the telling of the story to make a difference.
I don’t seek out stories about dragons, years-long-winters, dead people who are really, really good at making other people dead, or medieval-esque anythings, yet Game of Thrones has me completely riveted and praying that our DVR doesn’t drop the recording. So, yes, while the story matters, the telling of the story is what breaks through.
If we don’t have a story, we don’t have a business. If we don’t have a story, we don’t have a solution. If we don’t have a story, we can’t expect our associates to invest emotionally in the outcomes. And the better we tell that story, once we have it, the better our business, the more solid our solution and the more loyal our associates and the more rewarding the outcomes.
Winter is coming.
I can’t wait!
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