Learning From Stories of Happiness

Learning From Stories of Happiness

by Fred Harburg

My perspective on leadership communication was influenced by studying the Native American tribes near my childhood home on the plains of New Mexico. In many tribes, the chief shared power with others, one of whom was called the storyteller. The storyteller - often a woman - used her craft to engage and encourage others to heed the tribe's collective wisdom regarding logistics, planning, preparation, character, ethics, culture and purpose. The knowledge and inspiration coming from the stories became the basis for a more powerful and constructive tribal mindset - one that propelled the tribe to effective action in difficult times.

What was true for Native Americans remains true for modern corporate tribes like yours and mine. In spite of our seeming sophistication in using the latest technologies and the most advanced global systems, we have not outgrown our need for stories that provide understanding, emotional energy and human connection. We need stories that guide us to fulfillment, and we respond to leaders who effectively tell such stories. Further, we learn from our own stories of achievement and happiness.

I experienced the power of effective storytelling as a young organizational development professional starting up The Saturn Corp. In the late 1980s, there was great internal and external opposition to the existence of the company. Our fledging company had been an on-again, off-again investment item for GM for months, and our survival was a real question mark.

In that environment, we called together the key stakeholders and our most senior leaders who were involved in the launch of Saturn. We captured, both verbally and pictorially, in a wall-sized mural, the story of how we arrived at our current situation, the rationale for our existence and the purpose for the company. Despite heated differences, the sense of passion and purpose in the story worked to unify and energize our efforts. It placed all of us on common ground and propelled us to create a shared path to a productive future.

Our senior leaders used that story and the stories that unfolded thereafter to ignite possibility and to translate possibility into reality. Ever since that experience, I have used storytelling as a prime strategy in leadership, learning and organizational development work.

Great 18th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham argued: "The best society is that where the people are happiest, and the best policy is the one that produces the greatest happiness." Views such as Bentham's led to the impressive social reforms of the 1800s that resulted in improved education, better working conditions, enhanced health care, better standards of sanitation and reduced crime in Europe and the United States.

In her recently published book of scientific research on the phenomenon of happiness, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a respected scientist and researcher at the University of California, defines happiness as "the experience of frequent positive emotions and the sense that your life is good - that you are progressing toward your life goals and are satisfied with how your life is going." Her rigorous research confirms our intuition that happiness embedded in story is one of the most salient and significant dimensions of human experience and emotional life.

As it turns out, stories of happiness are causal of, not merely correlated with, a variety of benefits, including:

a) Higher income and superior work outcomes.

b) Larger social rewards.

c) Better physical health.

d) Greater personal effectiveness.

There are three simple ways leaders can employ the story mechanism, each of which is based on one of the scientific findings regarding human happiness.

a) Rather than ruminating on or covering up mistakes and setbacks, leaders should describe events in an authentic and realistic way; take appropriate responsibility for mistakes; identify the lessons learned; and talk about specific forward actions they will take to make course corrections.

b) Establish regular times to express gratitude by telling stories that celebrate the successes, contributions and achievements of teams and team members.

c) Energetically and colorfully express meaningful goals and objectives for the future in story fashion that include the names of people and organizations that will play an important role in the achievement of success.

Today, we need storyteller chiefs who can inspire us with words that reach deep into our hearts and help us see what has happened, what is happening and what is possible for our future. We need those who will lead us well in our pursuit of happiness.

[About the Author: Fred Harburg is a private consultant, writer and speaker in the disciplines of leadership, strategy and performance coaching. He has held numerous international leadership roles at IBM, GM, Motorola and Fidelity Investments.]