A leader needs to be able to communicate a vision- and inspire followers to help accomplish the goals, support the mission, and make the vision a reality.  Doing that requires all kinds of measures.

One technique is to tell stories.  We use them.  A lot.  We talk about products we’ve designed- some with seconds to spare before the due date, other problems we’ve solved immediately.

We also explain our rules of engagement with stories. We have several that are absolutely inviolate.  Others that are results oriented- and are, therefore, open to negotiation and change.  I personally use the biblical concept of ordinances and decrees.  The English translation is a bit lacking, which gives me the opportunity to explain the concept to everyone.

A decree is a rule for which we have no understanding of its reason- basically, ours is just to do or die.  An ordinance is rule for which we can determine why it exists- and there are ways to meet it that may differ between individuals; it’s the goal that’s important.  Since this is not really the main topic, I’ll pick two simple items to demonstrate the concept.

For our medical division, there are federal rules for quality.  Our internal rules exceed those by several orders of magnitude.  It costs us money to do that.  But, this is an ordinance. Non-negotiable. It’s the basis of our vision.   Our testing procedures are also more stringent that would normally be required.  But, that’s just done to insure that we don’t miss anything that may violate our quality standards.  These ordinances can be changed, if someone can convince us the goals won’t be diluted.

We also show movies to convey our message.  Some are short clips that we have developed to convey our culture to newbies- and for continuous reinforcement.  Others are conventional movies. Movies like Tucker, Miracle, Apollo 13, and Field of Dreams.  We also have used Remember the Titans (my son’s absolute favorite about his high school) for special cases with our clients.

Tucker is the semi-true story of Preston Tucker, who developed a radical new car design.  He was a maverick, who succeeded technically and failed financially, due to his political (small P, not large P) choices.  But he inspired his team to accomplish extraordinary results.  We discuss his failings and what we can learn from them.

Miracle is the semi-true story of the 1980 Olympic Hockey team.  The coach sought the best talent and coalesced these individuals into a team to achieve a common goal- that highly unlikely victory. This movie shows that one can convey a vision, demand excellence, and get team buy-in to achieve extraordinary results.

Apollo 13 teaches the simple concept- failure is not an option.  Also, a semi-true story.  In spite of circumstances beyond the control of the participants, teamwork, creativity, and level-headed decisions in emergency-like conditions save the day.

The Field of Dreams is the only myth in the bunch.  A driven man, driven by forces he cannot explain (initially), builds something extraordinary.  Something the whole world wants.  And, in the process, involves folks who never had the chance to reach their dreams another chance to finally get them to come true.

The last movie, Remember the Titans, is used when we have to work with a company in a turnaround situation.  One where big, wrenching changes are necessary to bring about success.   And, this movie demonstrates team building, transformational leadership, and organizational change under tremendous cultural pressure to resist that change.

All of these are employed to explain what we do.  We know that it’s just that little bit “extra” that converts the ordinary into extraordinary.

The Wall Street Journal has an article written by Coach K (Mike  Krzyzewski)  [Saturday, July 16, 2011, the day after this post first appeared] where he explains that team motivation requires one to know his audience AND tell vivid stories.  You can find Coach K’s article in the Wall Street Journal here.

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