When I tried to ride a camel in the sea
Enjoy!
The number of times a recruiter types the word 'Storytelling' in a job posting has increased in recent years, especially for senior leadership roles.
In fact, research from Stanford and other institutions frequently cites that while only 5% of people remember a lone statistic, 63% remember a story.
The truth is that you're more likely to remember a story about storytelling than a stat about it. So let's zoom into this concept and focus on one aspect of it- ANALOGIES.
The most complex of situations gets simplified through the right analogy. And if that analogy comes from a personal story, then even better. By personal, I don't mean stories that start with "During my times..." or "When I was the manager...", but something you've experienced or heard.
It's one way to make yourself AI-proof.
If used right, analogies can get people to nod thoughtfully, sometimes even lost in reflection, and sometimes a chuckle or even an eye roll as my daughter calls it.
Humour along with storytelling are often ignored traits of good leadership. I've made a compilation of analogies that I've used in the past year. Enjoy!
The Art of Analogies
THE FALLEN COFFEE CUP
Ek insaan coffee ka mug leke chal raha tha. Jab woh ek dusre insaan se takraaya, coffee gir gayi. Coffee kyon giri?
A lot of people say, uski wajah se- the other person's fault. Some say khud ki wajah se- one's own.
Coffee isiliye giri kyon ko cup mein coffee thi. Mango juice hota to mango juice girta.
We all carry something in our cups, and by nature of our work, we will bump into each other. What you feel is what you have in your cup.
When a researcher felt the data presented to a client was too harsh and wondered if it should be portrayed differently. The hypothesis that emerged was the 'coffee'- if not us, tomorrow someone else would've spilled it.
WHEN I RODE A CAMEL IN THE SEA
Mujhe samundar mein ooth chalaane ka koi shock nahi hai. Kyon is oonth ko paani mein chalaane ki koshish kar rahe ho.
"I have no interest in riding a camel in the sea. Why are we trying to ride this camel in the sea?"
When I was asked to use a template on MS word, I had to manually add a text box and format each slide. Why would one use text boxes to type on a text editor.
YOU MUSTN’T DRIVE ON THE FOOTPATH NO MATTER WHAT
Aap kitne bhi jaldi mai ho, gaadi kitne hi fast chala lo- par aap footpath pai nahi chalaoge, ya phir divider pe nahi chalaoge.
"However much of a hurry you're in, however fast you drive- you won't drive on the footpath, or over the divider."
When having too much on one's plate became an excuse to not follow processes.
THE HELPLESS FARMER
"Hum ek aise Kisaan ban gaye hai jo baarish ka intezaar kar raha hai."
"We've become a farmer waiting for rain."
When a project's success had high dependency on that one thing to work. And that one thing was outside the team's locus of control. A signal to think of a Plan B.
WHEN ARC BECAME A SHIPPING CO.
Think of a few roles in the org as a shipping company, and the others as the manufacturers. It’s the manufacturer’s job to do a QC, not the shipping company’s. If the shipping company occasionally checks 1 out of 100 products and finds a fault, it doesn't become their job to fix that.
When the team unknowingly expected a person outside their swim lane to maintain the quality of work.
THE BEE STARTS SMALL
Ek madhu makhi ka chajja ek ek kanghee se banthi hai. Agar woh madhu makhi uss bade chhajje ke darr ke boj mai aa gayi toh woh kabhi bad chajja bana hi nahi paaygi.
A beehive is built one comb at a time. If the bee gets weighed down by the fear of that entire hive, she'll never build it at all."
When a project plan became so vast that it overwhelmed the person, they didn't know where to start.
THE CHICKPEA SELLER
This one is when I was 6. "Humare ghar ke neeche ek channe bechne waala tha. Uska anaaj itna kharaab tha ki woh sirf kauve ko khilaane ke laayak tha. Toh hum sirf kauve ko khilaane ke liye anaaj waha se lethe the. Ek din jab mujhe channe khareedne bheja gaya, maine galti se bol diya, "Uncle, kauve ka khaana dena." Woh dukaan dar hairan ho gaya. Usse us din tak patha hi nahi tha ki uska maal kauve ko jaatha tha.
"There was a chickpea seller below our house. His grain was so poor it was only fit to feed crows. So we'd buy from him only for the crows. One day I accidentally said 'Uncle, give me the crow's food.' The shopkeeper was stunned. Until that day, he had no idea his produce was going to the crows."
When there was a debate on how we should position our messaging based on how the Center of Applied PM's courses will be used. While driving? On the go? On the table? We would never know till we actually go to the market.
So that's for today. The irony isn't lost on me. I just used multiple stories to tell you that stories work. If you remembered any of this, I rest my case.
If you didn't, at least the crows got fed :)