Workplace Narrative, What Story Will You Share?
Ask anyone about their problems and you’ll probably be engaging in a long discussion. Do you have a workplace narrative? What is it? Is it positive or more of a dramatic drudgery?
As a coach, I hear a lot of stories. Many of them are unhappy. They expose an undesirable narrative and leave a path of doom in their wake.
Your Story
Sometimes we must tell our story to provide clarity to our situation. This is the path to address the need or evaluate the circumstances. The story may have importance for the resolution.
If no one tells or understands the story. The story doesn’t matter. It gets lost, no one cares, and certainly there is nothing to remember. The story is over. It stops, there is no additional focus.
True for stories of drudgery and anger. True for stories of inspiration and optimism.
What stories are you telling?
Workplace Narrative
Are you sharing the story about the time a co-worker stabbed you in the back? Are you sharing the one where office politics left you out in the cold? Of course, we can’t forget the one about your boss delivering unfair treatment, or when he or she gave someone else credit for your work.
These stories are over. They can be retold, repeatedly, but it will never change the outcome of those past situations. Reliving them only keeps people stuck.
In contrast, the stories of passion, purpose, and possibilities can be shared. They too can be told repeatedly. If no one tells this story, it ends, it is over.
Everyone has a choice about their workplace narrative. There is a choice about the type of story you’ll repeat, dramatize, or embellish.
The stories that you repeat become the stories of your life. They may also be a predictor of the future.
Learn from all the stories. Don’t repeat mistakes.
Tell again the stories filled with optimism. Share them with everyone.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
