In this, the first episode of 5 Leadership Questions released in 2016, we are starting with a bang. We talked with Donald Miller, the best-selling author of several books most notably Blue Like Jazz and most recently Scary Close. On top of being a gifted author, Don started a company called Story Brand that works with many of the world’s leading companies to help them find and communicate their message, identity, and story. If you are in leadership this conversation will very likely reframe how you want to communicate your organizations purpose and vision. It is insightful, deep, eye-opening, and enjoyable. It will get your 2016 started well.

BEST QUOTES

“We experienced rapid growth based on clarifying our message.”

“Willie Nelson said ‘weigh your press, don’t read it.’”

“Clarity is everything.”

“Story is random events organized and submitted to principles and rules that make sense to the human brain.”

“Story hijacks the human brain.”

“The magic of a great writer isn’t what they say; it’s what they don’t say.”

“The enemy of a great story is clutter.”

“What we really do with companies is help them filter their messaging down to the core narrative that people will engage.”

“Story may be something that originated from the facts of our existence, which would parallel the gospel.”

“A perfect villain is a character that embodies all the things you most fear about yourself.”

“The hero has redeemed their suffering but the villain is bitter about it and seeking vengeance.”

“I’m a big fan of formulas. In my twenties I hated them, in my forties I love them.”

“I think it’s a great calling of humanity to create order out of chaos.”

“If you position yourself as the hero of the story you will lose.”

“My story is no longer going to be about me. My story is going to be about serving the narrative of people around me.”

“If you’re serving others, if you’re loving others, if you’re caring for others your organization wins in the end.”

“One of the values we have here at LifeWay is making heroes out of church leaders.”

“Leadership development isn’t a program or a product; it’s really a relationship.”

“The two things the guide must have are resonance and authority.”

“I staffed my flaws.”

“I’ve made the mistake many times of projecting my own skill set onto others.”

“Emphasize your core values and people self-regulate whether they should be on board or not.”

“Leaders have to be the biggest servants and they get the least credit.”

“I forget how much leadership is a service industry.”

“In narrative people do not grow or improve in character unless they’re in pain. It’s true in story because it’s true in life.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

StoryBrand.com

StoryBrand.com/Trump

Scary Close

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

The Seven Basic Plots – Christopher Booker

Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need – Blake Snyder