When naming the crucial characteristics of leaders, it is quite common to address the qualities such as initiative, openness to innovations and experience, and the ability to transform people’s attitudes and behaviors. However, the role of careful listening and awareness of personal stories of people that surround leaders is often ignored, which is a tremendous omission. In her TEDTalk performance, Karen Eber (2020) explains what role personal stories play in the shaping of a leader and conveys the vital message of how a leader must be able to integrate personal stories into his or her decision-making and framework for interacting with others. The lesson about the gravity of failing to notice the contribution that subordinates make to the performance of the organization, no matter how socially or financially insignificant this input might seem to a leader, was a powerful revelation.
Indeed, given the fact that information is presently viewed as the most valuable resource that an organization or an individual may possess, analysis of storytelling and personal experiences must be placed at the top of a leader’s priorities. The idea of connecting storytelling and data, while seeming a groundbreaking and unexpected discovery upon the first viewing of the video, became a natural course of viewing the relationships within an organization shortly afterward. Thus, the necessity to perceive personal storytelling as a vital part of valuable data that a leader can gather to build relationships within the organization and across the community, has been a profound and vital lesson to take from the TEDTalk in question. By connecting personal perceptions and business relationships, Eber (2020) paved the way for leaders to increase their influence and improve interpersonal relationships, thus enhancing their transformative impact.
Reference
Eber, K. (2020). How your brain responds to stories and why they are crucial for leaders [Video]. TedTalk.