I have the pleasure of chatting with Jon Rennie, host of Deep Leadership podcast about leadership - what is it and how can one learn to be a leader?
“Leadership is a People Business”, is the philosophy of this leadership podcast from Jon Rennie. It’s real-world, actionable advice from Jon as well as his expert guests. As a former Cold War Submarine Officer who spent 20+ years leading businesses in Corporate America before starting his own manufacturing business, he knows that leadership matters!
One of my reasons for being involved with this particular podcast, is that . . .
. . . Jon focusses on very practical tips and advice. As a former sub-mariner and now owner of his own engineering business, he's someone that knows how leadership works in practice, rather than theory.
In this session with Jon, Transitioning Into Leadership, I was able to share with Jon, some of the stories on which my new book, 'What To Do When Leadership Is Needed', is based and how managers new and old can apply the lessons, not only from my stories, but from theirs too. Every time we have a conversation, we always relate a story, generally to explain the idea, concept, or what we mean. Managers whom people look to as leaders, are really good story tellers - they influence their people, often to change their current attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behavior. Information alone rarely changes any of these. Research confirms that well-designed stories are the most effective vehicle for influencing others.
One of my favourite leadership story writers, Paul Smith, author of "Lead with a story" says, "In any group, roughly 40 percent will be predominantly visual learners who learn best from videos, diagrams, or illustrations. Another 40 percent will be auditory, learning best through lectures and discussions. The remaining 20 percent are kinesthetic learners, who learn best by doing, experiencing, or feeling. Storytelling has aspects that work for all three types. Visual learners appreciate the mental pictures storytelling evokes. Auditory learners focus on the words and the storyteller’s voice. Kinesthetic learners remember the emotional connections and feelings from the story."
From the 27 stories in my book, "What To Do When Leadership Is Needed: A workbook for managers who aspire to become leaders", I was able to show how stories on things such as customer service, motivation, creativity and sport can be used by managers for not only their own leadership development, but also for running invigorating and enjoyable team meetings.
So, if you'd like to hear a couple of stories and how they can help you transition into leadership, have a listen to Episode 152 of Deep Leadership.
And if you'd like to share a story of your own with me, please do so.