Q.west for good: Change leadership stories with Denise Withers

Entrepreneurship is on the rise, as more and more people seek meaning and control over their work. But figuring out what, exactly, they want to do and how, exactly, they want to do it can be one of the toughest parts of building a new business. Stories can help - by giving new entrepreneurs the clarity, confidence and courage they need to succeed. And that's what I explore in this episode with Karen Greve Young.

Karen's the CEO of Futurpreneur Canada, the only national non-profit organization in the country that's dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs age 18-39. Futurpreneur’s unique model combines loan financing, mentorship and other resources to fuel the success of thousands of young entrepreneurs in every Canadian province and territory. Before joining Futurpreneur, Karen worked in leadership roles at non-profits around the globe, most recently serving as the Vice President of Corporate Development & Partnerships at MaRS Discovery District, a global innovation hub based in Toronto.

Karen shares stories of how they help entrepreneurs use their own stories to shape and grow their businesses, through processes ranging from business model design to mentoring. She also tells us how Futurpreneur has stepped up its own storytelling, sharing  entrepreneurs' stories across staff, partners and the board to strengthen connections to the purpose and people they serve. As a result, they've tripled their employee engagement in less than three years.

Plus, we  explore  the role entrepreneurs play in helping communities create, share and deepen the stories that bring them together, by developing places and experiences where everyone can support shared values.

Join us to hear the incredible stories of entrepreneurs like Devon Fiddler, who started SheNative accessories to employ and support Indigenous women, and Mai Eilia, a refugee who started home-building business Magnum Construction to create employment for other refugees – and find out more about how you can use stories to grow your business today. 

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Kimberly Herrington’s passionate about data storytelling. And she’s not alone. Across the globe, people are eating up books and courses about this relatively new story niche. Why? Because they realize that our ability to generate data far outperforms our ability to communicate and act on them.  

Data storytelling goes beyond simply telling the story of how you got your data, or explaining what a specific plot point means. As we discover in this episode, it helps us figure out what questions we need to ask to guide data collection, and who needs to understand those data to make sure they get used. 

That’s exactly what Kim is doing, through her work as a data journalist and creator of #BuffaloBusinessIntelligence. Just in the last year, she’s been able to use data to advance health innovation and fuel change in her home state of New York, by helping to accelerate access to the Internet for thousands of citizens during the pandemic with WIFI Warriors. She also promotes data education and literacy, building on her own studies with BI Brainz. 

Data storytelling’s just getting started. If you want great tips about how to bring it into your work, then this episode is for you. 

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Over the last year, we've heard growing demand across the planet to change the narrative on issues from racism, poverty and capitalism - to climate change, health care and biodiversity. But what, exactly, does that mean? What are narratives? How do they influence the way we live and work? And how the heck do you change one?

That's what we discuss in this episode, with Sean Gibbons, CEO of The Communications Network. His organization connects, gathers, and informs leaders working in communications for good in order to advance the missions and impact of foundations and nonprofits. Before joining the Network, Sean held senior positions at several policy think tanks in Washington and worked as an award-winning news producer for CNN.

If you have any interest in social change, you need to hear what Sean has to say. Not only does he share some incredible resources with us, including the strategic toolkit Storytelling for Good (developed with the Rockefeller Foundation and Hattaway Communications), and a brand new platform for diversity, equity and inclusion – but he also tells an amazing story of how - exactly - social change leaders used stories to change the narrative on a global human rights issue - marriage.

The Communications Network has some terrific resources - it's definitely worth checking out. And, if you know of any social good organizations who did amazing work to make a difference this year, Sean invites you to nominate them for the Clarence B. Jones award. 

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If you want to engage people in creating a better future, then you have to make sure they know that they are seen and heard, that their voices matter. And in many places across the world, for many peoples, that hasn't always happened.

But in the City and County of Denver, Rowena Alegria is changing that. As the Chief Storyteller, she's on a mission to bring the stories of the people to each other and the government, to change the narrative of exclusion and division to one of belonging and unity.

Through storytelling labs, training, projects and events, she and her small team are helping residents outside the "mainstream" share their stories to correct historic wrongs and support policy-making for a more inclusive future.

This episode is packed with incredible examples of the kind of impact her work has had, along with practical advice on how other cities can start to tap into the power of stories to create change, for good.

"I feel like by using story, we are using one of the most powerful tools to bring our community together.  Can I give you data and say that this story changed this person's mind or changed this person's life? Maybe once in a blue moon. But day in and day out – no, I can't. But, if you hang out with me for a while and you see the impact that we have–  if you watch the relationship develop from the beginning of an interview to the end of an interview, to the launch of that story or the screening of that story and see the faces on the people who are watching our film and how they react to it ... I can't quantify that for you. But I can tell you that the power is immeasurable. And I think we're only scratching the surface for what is possible when you take story and make it part of the City's toolbox, part of its archive.

Find out more about IAMDENVER, read the book Rowena references or connect with her team. 

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As increasing numbers of younger people enter politics, we’re seeing leaders who are not only more media-savvy, but also more transparent and collaborative.

So I shouldn’t have been surprised when Amesbury’s new Mayor Kassandra Gove and her Communications Director Caitlin Thayer told me that story listening is at the heart of their strategic work.

Sure, they’re doing great things to engage residents, businesses and partners through channels like social media, email newsletters and a narrative-driven budget book. But they’re also devoting a lot of time and energy to finding, analyzing and using insights from stories people across the city tell them to inform their work. 

By combining this intel with complementary activities to collect and dig into other data sources, they’ve been able to create a government that’s more responsive and connected than you’ll see in most other municipalities. As Mayor Gove tells us –

"My hope long-term is that we are able to make progress at a more rapid rate. What I was seeing was the municipality's governments and officials being left behind.  That society was progressing around them. And we have a lot of wonderful people in our community that are experts with information and experience to offer. And if we can get them involved and engaged, I think that we can do great things and really move the city forward much more quickly if we have them as partners rather than driving a wedge between us, because we aren't able to speak the same language."

You can see samples of their work, and learn about their upcoming future story work to create their 10-year vision here. 

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It seems like everyone's starting some kind of a "Business U" these days. But they're almost all grounded in old paradigms focused on growth and profit. And that's not what we need if we're really going to #BuildBackBetter. That's where Hamsa Daher and her team at Small Giants come in. They're growing a learning community for leaders who prioritize purpose and people – and they're doing it with stories.

In this episode, Hamsa tells us how a narrative analysis of stories about successful, "alternative" business models inspired the founders to launch Small Giants, and how they weave stories throughout their work. By using stories to share knowledge and experience, foster relationships, engage teams and inspire innovation, Small Giants has created a unique learning environment that helps leaders step into their purpose and strengthen their teams.

As Hamsa tells us, uncertainty is at an all-time high, and leaders need reliable ways to engage and support their people, while adapting to new economic opportunities. Using stories to analyze what's working, experiment with new ideas, build trust and inspire action will help purpose-led organizations not only survive but also thrive in an unknown future. 

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While companies across sectors struggle to cope with the economic impacts of the pandemic, it's becoming increasingly clear that those driven by a social purpose are out-performing their profit-driven competition. They have better customer loyalty, employee engagement and innovation capacity. But how can leaders make the shift?

It turns out that stories have a big role to play - and that's what I talk about with Mary Ellen Schaafsma in this episode. She's the Executive Director of the Social Purpose Institute at the United Way of the Lower Mainland in British Columbia. 

Her job is to help companies find, activate and grow the impact of their unique social purpose.  To do that, she and her team ask leaders to do a deep dive into their company's stories. And what they find often surprises them! 

Join us to learn how the Institute's helping companies use social purpose to become more resilient and innovative, while doing good, and how the future stories leaders design set them up for success in a turbulent world.

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It's tough being a scientist these days.

You have to be rigorous, data-driven and totally committed to your calling to maintain credibility in a world where fake news challenges every finding. Plus, you have to be able to communicate your research to non-scientific audiences in a way that gets them to act on and support your work. Science storytelling can help you find a way to do both.

In this episode, Dr. Britt Wray shares insights from her award-winning work as a science storyteller, focused on the mental health impact of climate change and ecological crises. As an author, broadcaster, TED Fellow and scientist herself, she's used stories to engage audiences in everything from de-extinction (bringing back extinct species) to AI.

To humanize often complex concepts, Britt encourages scientists to  find ways to get out of the lab and into the field, to interview real people affected by the issue they're researching. She also emphasizes the need to look for the "X-factor" in their work – what is surprising or unexpected about their findings? Where is there conflict or suspense about how the research will turn out?

For those who want to know more, she recommends two books: Houston, We have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story, written by marine biologist turned storyteller Randy Olson, and Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, based on behind-the-scenes work at This American Life and Radio Lab.  

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Every day, organizations like BC Housing conduct critical research that has the potential to shape decisions and our world. But finding ways to share, promote and activate the knowledge produced can seem almost impossible in a world filled with noise and fake news. And if no one knows about your work, they can't use or support it.

Recognizing this, Karen Hemmingson, former Chief Research Officer, Research and Corporate Planning at BC Housing, decided to try something different. Inspired by an adventure storytelling event called FEAT, she and her colleagues invested in using stories to mobilize their research on Community Housing for Resilient Communities.

As expected, their story-driven communications work was successful at engaging both existing and new audiences. But what they didn't expect was that they'd generate rich new insights through the process of shaping the stories - insights they likely would have missed through a more traditional approach.

In this episode, Karen walks us through the project, explaining how things unfolded, the challenges they faced, and why - from a leadership perspective - she chose a story-based approach. She also speaks to the reluctance of some researchers to use stories to share their work, highlighting the fact that communication doesn't have to be only data or only stories. And she shares tips for those considering using stories to advance their own research impact.

Read more of her insights on the project here.

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Frustrated that you can’t get people to support your big idea or brilliant project? You’re not alone. Every day, across the globe, leaders from scientists to CEOs struggle to find effective ways to promote and engage others in their incredibly powerful and important work.

That’s why I’m so excited to share this podcast episode with communicator-extraordinaire, Andy Goodman. As the co-founder and director of The Goodman Center, Andy draws on his time in Hollywood as a TV sit-com writer to help do-gooders learn to do better, through story-driven presentations, workshops, and consulting. In the last 20 years, he’s worked with over 500 purpose-driven clients across the globe, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MIT, The Nature Conservancy, CARE, GE, and Bank of America. He’s also the author of three books on storytelling and communication and a highly-sought after keynote speaker. 

In this episode, Andy and I explore the challenges leaders face in developing a storytelling culture in their organizations. By sharing examples from his decades of work at places like the Nurse-Family Partnership, Andy takes us behind the scenes to discover how he’s been able to help leaders learn to use stories to do everything from raise funds and recruit talent - to change policy and behavior.

During our chat, we tackle questions like, “Who should be the hero of my story?” and “Is it okay for me to tell someone else’s story?” And we explore ways to use stories to develop your vision and plans for the future. Andy also recommends a few resources for leaders interested in putting stories to work, including the website Ethical Storytelling, and the book “Numbers and Nerves: Information, Emotion, and Meaning in a World of Data”. 

Over the past 20+ years, Andy and his colleagues have transformed hundreds of organizations, by teaching them how to become better communicators and storytellers. No matter what mission you serve, you’re guaranteed to learn something new from him in this episode - I definitely did! 

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