I entered the jewelry shop on 47th Street in NYC, famously known as the Diamond District.
My friend was facing challenges in keeping his small shop thriving.
Sales were sluggish, and the competition was intense.
Eli (my friend), the jeweler, had exceptional skills when it came to crafting jewelry, but he sucked as a salesman.🙈
As Eli lifted the engagement ring from the glass case to present it to a potential customer, I casually strolled over to the counter.
With a hint of shyness, I politely said, “Excuse me,” and proceeded to describe the ring to the young gentleman.
After describing the ring as “a stunning, high-clarity princess-cut diamond at its center with impeccable clarity that captures and reflects light from every angle,” (🥱 blah blah blah) I proceeded to share a story with the customer.
“It’s Eli’s finest creation to date, inspired by his grandmother’s ring. Eli’s grandmother immigrated to this country with only $5.00 and her wedding ring in her pocket.
She raised her four children by cleaning houses, and this creation symbolizes her hard work.”
The ring got sold for $12,000. 🙌
You see, people don’t simply buy expensive things; they invest in narratives.
They seek experiences and personal connections that go beyond the price tag.
When I was younger (like ages ago) my grandparents would sit me down and tell me stories.
Often, these stories were followed by a huge ask.
A chore or task!
It worked.
You can blame my long posts on them.
This point is –
This is how I 'lead' teams.
I tell stories.
I also tell stories to distract my clients from bad news, but that’s a story for another day.😂
My question is, when did 'storytelling' fall off the list of #leadership requirements?
And, why do we favor stories over plain old data?
Well, it’s because our brains are constantly bombarded with information every day, and it needs to determine what’s worth remembering and what can be chucked in the f**kit bucket.
When we encounter a story, various parts of our brains light up, such as:
· Wernicke’s area - where we process language.
· The amygdala - responsible for our emotions and feelings.
· Mirror neurons - which enable us to empathize with others.
Collaborating between these brain areas increases the likelihood of the hippocampus (which stores short-term memories) creating something that stays in our minds.
And that is when the magic happens.
image credit pressbooks.pub
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