Blown Away by a link

So occasionally I click on the 'Stats' button just to see if any particular blog has been being reviewed a lot, since I rarely get comments on this site.
This site is just one I use for reviews, I post on here, then Amazon, Link to Facebook, as well as when fitting to Family Christian.
Check out those links if you want to follow me on another venue as well as I don't always post to my blog my reviews on different products as they are not fitting or they are just too 'simple' of reviews to post on here.

I was shocked to see one blog on a book having been reviewed almost 100 times in this past week...
The review was on Lead with A Story by Paul Smith.

I found that one of the key reasons was that Paul Smith placed a link to my blog on his own sight for the book!

So thanks Paul for the encouragement not just from the book, but also from your own website posting.
As a business leader in retail I enjoyed your book as it was one I would add to a list of 'mentoring' books that I have read.  In others words, I walked away not just with another 5 steps to say the same old OZ Principle (Or 15 new steps to break it down more as some authors do...) but a unique and simple approach to engage my team, friends, small groups etc.. in a practical way that will encourage and ultimately change them!

For those of you who read this blog you know that my chief aim is to engage you in a way that will cause a reflection of your life, and hopefully a shift to help the orphan, the widow and encouragement to live this life together in Christ.  Not religion but relationship with Christ.

Curtis Cecil
gripograce@gmail.com

Lead with a Story by Paul Smith

I recently received the book "Lead With a Story" by Paul Smith free from the publisher to review.

I was very intrigued by this title.  As a Leader who Leads other LEADERS it takes alot to motivate and encourage them.  So I opened this book with some high expectations.

Before I get into that here is what the publisher had to say:
 "Paul Smith is scary smart, an amazing storyteller." --Chip Heath, Author Made to Stick

Storytelling has come of age in the business world. Today, many of the most successful companies use storytelling as a leadership tool. At Nike, all senior executives are designated “corporate storytellers.” 3M banned bullet points years ago and replaced them with a process of writing “strategic narratives.” Procter & Gamble hired Hollywood directors to teach its executives storytelling techniques. Some forward-thinking business schools have even added storytelling courses to their management curriculum.

The reason for this is simple: Stories have the ability to engage an audience the way logic and bullet points alone never could. Whether you are trying to communicate a vision, sell an idea, or inspire commitment, storytelling is a powerful business tool that can mean the difference between mediocre results and phenomenal success.

Lead with a Story contains both ready-to-use stories and how-to guidance for readers looking to craft their own. Designed for a wide variety of business challenges, the book shows how narrative can help: Define culture and values • Engender creativity and innovation • Foster collaboration and build relationships • Provide coaching and feedback • Lead change • And more.

Whether in a speech or a memo, communicated to one person or a thousand, storytelling is an essential skill for success. Complete with examples from companies like Kellogg's, Merrill-Lynch, Procter & Gamble, National Car Rental, Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, and more, this practical resource gives readers the guidance they need to deliver stories to stunning effect.

So what did I think... This book did a great job in the first few chapters of giving the principles, and structure that you follow in crafting a great story.

Then in the subsequent chapters there are examples after examples of the stories that can be used on select topics such as driving business, teamwork etc..

I loved the simplicity of CAR (Context, Action and Result) for crafting a story.  This work made it very simple and made me realize how I could use this.

In fact I have used this style of thinking in 2 subsequent meetings.  One was with a group of Store Managers who were under performing in our company.  The result was that they felt energized and not demoralized!

Then I had the opportunity to speak to a group of Peers and Leadership in our company, and again this CAR crafting enabled me to create a powerful devotional that challenged, encouraged and led the LEADERS to better resolve to follow after a key theme in our company.

To sum it all up: If you are a speaker, a teacher, a friend, a pastor, a worker, a leader in any sense of the word you will learn from this book!

PICK IT UP!