Summary: "Camila and I have both been shaped by dyslexia. I've never regarded it as a disability, but as something that has forced me to engage with the world in a special way." Screw Business As Usual, page 147 Serial entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson (founder of all things 'Virgin' branded), knows a thing or two about telling stories. His first business venture, Student (a magazine, which he launched at age 17), was about collecting and sharing stories. His four books are loaded with stories of people exemplifying his messages. Perhaps it was his dyslexia that first put him down the path of collecting stories (versus facts). Perhaps he's always just had a knack for engaging hearts and minds through story. Whatever the impetus, one of Branson's many gifts is his ability to tell a good tale. His latest work, Screw Business As Usual is no exception. The message is simple - "that every single business person has the responsibility for taking care of the people and planet that make up our global village, all 24,902 circumferential miles of it" (page 19). Branson expounds that message through story after story after story - of people, companies and organizations that are living and breathing it every day. Golden Egg It's all about the story "The science behind global warming is solid - but it's the stories of ordinary people which engage your attention when you're half an ear to the radio and you're racing to pack your kids off to school. It's their stories that stick in your mind clearly enough that you can deliver them with confidence over a drink with a friend." Screw Business As Usual, page 218 Branson believes (as I do) that there's a global shift occurring in the way we do business. His latest book is littered with examples of business leaders turning conventional capitalist wisdom on its head; companies and people that are doing good first, and making a tidy profit as a result. Possibly one of my favorite examples (buried in the back of the book under the cheeky title "I Rest My Case Studies") is of Blake Mycoskie and his "Shoes for Tomorrow" project, more commonly known as TOMS shoes. Blake tells a good story. When you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, an identical pair is donated to a child in need. Their website tells the story brilliantly. They use video, photos and testimonials. TOMS' story is integrated into their marketing, but more than that, it's firmly integrated into their business model. TOMS "one-for-one" model isn't a marketing gimmick; it's at the core of who they are and why they exist as a company. For me, TOMS is a quintessential success case of a 21st century business; what Branson refers to as a shining example of "Capitalism 24902". They have a purpose larger than simply generating a profit, and they explain that purpose through story - story after story after story. Their shoes aren't the cheapest, and they're not the most well made. But they come with an important story - one that's easy to share, and easy to feel good about. GEM # 1 Stories can't be boring For those who think business exists to make a profit, I suggest they think again. Business makes a profit to exist. Surely it must exist for some higher, nobler purpose than that." - Ray Anderson, founder of Interface Inc. as quoted in Screw Business As Usual, page 99 If you’ve ever sat (or likely stood) through a dry, never ending story that never seems to end (often at a cocktail party, for some reason), you know what I mean when I say a story can’t be impactful and boring. They simply can’t co-exist. Good stories engage our hearts and minds. A well told story captures the imagination. It allows us to feel something, and to imagine the world as a better place. How many times have you asked what someone “does”, and immediately felt your eyes glazing over as you realize the answer is dry, dull and typical? How many times have you been the one telling the boring story?
