ARE STORIES BETTER THAN TRUTH?

*The power of a good story.

We all like a good story. But what if the story is more convincing than the facts? What if, even knowing that the facts suggest otherwise, we still find it easier to believe the story? It seems implausible.

A campaigner who tried to prosecute Boris Johnson over his claim that the UK sends £350 million a week to the EU has lost a bid to take the fight to the Supreme Court. The judge previously said the ‘problem of false statements in the course of political campaigning is not new’ but, she added, there are already laws in place to deal with political statements that cross the threshold into ‘illegal practice.’

In his book WTF? by Robert Peston, it is noted that the £350 million Brexit Bus fallacy was in fact the single most persuasive story. More powerful then even the Cambridge Analytics style manipulation of social media. This story was simple, plausible, memorable, believed..... and untrue.

Goebbels said “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

We may readily accept that the above is all true, there is plenty of history, science and evidence to show this and many more expert people than me have said it. So what?

*The implications for business and strategy.

The power of a good narrative is unquestionable and its persuasive force unstoppable. Business Leaders do well to follow this and the concept of authenticity and trust is substantially based on character and we all like a story with interesting characters.

Stories with the hero, victim and villain are simple to follow and understand. Stories of good guys and bad guys, cops and robbers, are great at galvanising teams into action and unifying them against a common foe, shared concern, or mutual interest.

So business and strategy based on the customer story, the employee experience, the supplier journey and their scrapes and escapades, explanations and justifications are all likely to be more easily believed than boring data.

As an example Tom Peter's book In Search of Excellence told a great story of excellence and success. It was really convincing. A best seller.

Within 2 years after publication it was apparent, to certain analysts, that the book's choice of companies was poor to indifferent. Rick Chapman titled his book on high-tech marketing fiascoes, In Search of Stupidity, as a nod to Peters's book and the disasters that befell many of the companies it profiled.

*The need for a reality check

Like the boy who saw the emperor had no clothes we also need to be cautious of stories without substance: It is important to avoid the rhetoric so many leaders rely upon to put on a good show and sound great.

Trust, but verify is a Russian proverb. The phrase became internationally when used by President Ronald Reagan on several occasions in the context of nuclear disarmament.

So whilst narrative is a powerful tool we need to be much more savvy and hard working with our analytical and critical thinking.


FEEDBACK

I am interested in your thoughts and experiences. Maybe you agree. Maybe you do not. Maybe you can recommend some other books, blogs or videos. Do not hesitate to get in touch, and if you are in Jersey I will happily buy you a coffee if you would like to talk about your experience.

LINKS

https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/14/campaigner-loses-bid-take-350-million-brexit-bus-claim-supreme-court-10571302/?ito=cbshare


RELATED READING

WTF? by Robert Peston
Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis by George Monbiot

AUTHOR

@TimHJRogers +447797762051
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timhjrogers/
http://www.timhjrogers.com
MBA (Management Consulting) Projects & Change Practitioner,
TEDx & Jersey Policy Forum, Public Accounts Committee,

HASHTAG
#STORY #STRATEGY #LEADERSHIP