When my team and I talk about our strategy for the year, I like to share articles that resonate with the year we face. This year, I chose an article from Harvard Business Review (as you know, we can read this for free in our SU Library), titled: Storytelling That Drives Bold Change, by Mike Tinney and Alex Hammond.​

Every year Stellenbosch University kicks off the year with planning and strategy forums where we identify organisational issues that need urgent attention. We use a variety of sources of information, develop remedies, lay out broad strategies, and experiment with solutions. After all, this is said and done, we need to complete a vital step, says Tinney and Hammond: “crafting a story so compelling that it will harness their organizations' energy and direct it toward change."

Storytelling has many definitions and meanings. In short, it boils down to sharing and interpreting something you have experienced. But to tell a good story is an art that requires creativity, vision, skill, and practice. Storytelling is as old as humanity and is found everywhere. Storytelling existed before writing did. It happens at every age and in every culture. It exists (and has always existed) to educate, amuse, and spread cultural customs and values.

How can we leverage the power of storytelling?

​Tinney and Hammond outline an effective way to leverage the power of storytelling. They draw on decades of combined experience helping senior executives lead large-scale change initiatives. There are four key steps:​

• Understand your story so well that you can describe it simply;
• Honour the past;
• Articulate a mandate for change; and
• Lay out a rigorous and optimistic path forward.

Understand deeply and describe simply, is crucial. The authors reckon that if you understand something but can describe it only in complex or jargon language, you'll reach just the subset of people with expertise in the topic. To simplify requires deep insight and that is why it is much easier to write a long story than a short one.

In creating the University's future, it is essential to acknowledge and honour its past. Sometimes, we are so eager to change things we forget what brought us to this day. If you want people to believe in you and your ideas, you need to show that you understand your institution and that you preserve the best of its history. Remember to listen to your colleagues when they talk about the institution or the matter you are trying to address. 

The authors remind us to confront our organisation's history with optimism and honesty. “Optimism means revealing your belief in a better tomorrow. Honesty means taking full responsibility for what went wrong and acknowledging the human costs of those mistakes."

What is the future you want?

​In creating the future you want, one must ask “why?" a few times. Why do we need to solve this problem? What will happen if we do not find a solution? We have seen over the years, and in our very recent past, how the implementation of new systems can be very challenging. How do we persevere through a rough patch in the implementation phase? An excellent place to start is by admitting a problem and finding an authentic and transparent way to communicate what will be done immediately to rectify the situation—no need for a spin doctor. Just tell the truth.

Tell your story

​When you have created that story that represents your organization's future, make sure you tell it at every opportunity – across platforms that present themselves. Lastly, the authors tell us that while as much as 70 percent of organisational change efforts fail, you can significantly change the odds if you create a compelling narrative and share that enthusiastically with your audiences. If you believe it, they might, too. “The story you tell yourself sets the stage for the organisational change you envision. And when you share it skillfully with others, your story becomes their reality."

What is the story you want to tell?