Brandon Klein Brandon understands that better teams are fundamental to all of our success. As a global thought leader, ushering in the 'Future of Work' revolution, he paves the way using data + design to accelerate the Collaboration Revolution. Brandon is the Co-Founder of the software start-up, Collaboration.Ai and an active member of The Value Web, a non-profit committed to changing the way decisions are made to better impact our world. Apr 25

Edge Perspectives with John Hagel: Personal Narratives: Insight and Impact

Personal Narratives: Insight and Impact

We all have a personal narrative, even though few of us have made the effort to articulate it. That’s a shame because our personal narrative can be a source of deep insight as well as a great way to amplify impact. Done right, they can be a powerful weapon in helping us to escape from the dark side of technology.

I’ve written a lot about narratives, for example, here and here. Narratives are different from stories in that they’re open-ended (they don’t yet have a resolution) and they’re ultimately about the people you’re talking to, not about you, the story teller, or some other people. Narratives are powerful because they are ultimately a call to action – they help people to see how they can have greater impact.

There are social narratives and institutional narratives, but we each have a personal narrative as well. At the end of the day, that’s the narrative that really counts. It defines how we connect with the world and where and how we can have impact.

The elements of a personal narrative

So, what’s a personal narrative? Like all narratives, it ultimately answers three questions:

Why am I here?
What can I accomplish?
What can you do to help me accomplish that?

 

article, peoplescience, Collaboration Article, collaborative web link, exercise

Brandon Klein Brandon understands that better teams are fundamental to all of our success. As a global thought leader, ushering in the 'Future of Work' revolution, he paves the way using data + design to accelerate the Collaboration Revolution. Brandon is the Co-Founder of the software start-up, Collaboration.Ai and an active member of The Value Web, a non-profit committed to changing the way decisions are made to better impact our world.