How can you tell a compelling story that will inspire and engage the hearts and minds of your team, customers, and investors?

It’s a vital question as Bill Gates said, "The best leaders are the ones who know how to speak with their heart.  They connect with people on an emotional level, not just intellectually."

In my interview with CEO and Co-founder of BigID, Dimitri Sirota, you’ll discover how you can leverage storytelling as a powerful tool that can help you communicate better with others.

But it's not something that just happens by chance. It takes time and practice before you will become a masterful storyteller -- which makes sense because it is an art form!  In this interview we take the guesswork out of telling your stories so they have maximum impact on your listeners.

BigID is the augmented data management platform for privacy, security, and governance. They  were selected as one of the Forbes 2021 World’s Best Cloud Companies.

Dimitri is an established serial entrepreneur, investor, mentor and strategist. He is the Ernst and Young 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist and Forbes Tech Council contributor. 

Dimitri's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimitrisirota/

WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How Dimitri’s appreciation of science fiction has influenced his entrepreneurial journey and leadership approach. 
• How being an immigrant has given him drive to succeed.
• The “Immigrant Mentality” that provides drive.
• Should business schools require science fiction reading?
• The “King of All Data”.
• What makes working with BigID so special.
• His top strategy for raising capital!
• Why so much talent is going into startups versus other industries.
• How to know if an executive team is a great start-up investment.
• How CEO’s tell a good story.
• How to up your story telling game as a leader.
• The “Elon Musk” strategy for telling a compelling story.
• What happened when Jeff Bezos shared his origin story.
• Why stories are such a powerful communication tool for leaders.
• How you can earn credibility.
• How he established his company's culture based on the performance of ONE employee.

QUOTES:

For entrepreneurship: “You have to have an imagination.”

Key point for raising capital, “Recognize that many investors want to be first,” and “You must learn to tell the story.”

“Are they able to communicate a compelling story? What’s their plan to win? Why this team?”

RESOURCES:

Frank Herbert's Dune

Isaac Asimov's Foundation

Joseph Campell’s The Hero’s Journey

Nancy Duarte's Resonate

Homer

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