Campfire Stories for Your Business

One of my favorite books is The Bard by Morgan Llywelyn. It is a historical fiction book that is about the life of a Bard in ancient Ireland. Long ago this book opened my eyes to the power of storytelling. Bards, in many cultures, played an important role in preserving the history of a culture. These individuals practiced their craft of storytelling. They told the tales of their heroes, their victories, their rulers, and their people.

These Bards and other storytellers were the only resource for learning about a people's history. So many stories were not put to paper for centuries and these people had the honorable role to remembering, preserving, and sharing these stories. If it weren't for powerful storytelling, many myths and historical occurrences would have been lost to time.

Imagine if your company had its own bard and powerful stories that are shared throughout the company, influencing the culture. So often companies struggle because they forget where they began, they forget their history, and therefore forget their vision. Stories can be used to ensure that the employees and executives don't get lost.

Wal-Mart has a culture of storytellers. Many times they share the stories of Sam Walton, his vision, his struggle, his success. His stories have influenced that culture to become one of the most successful businesses.

So who could be a bard in your company? You. In your next presentation, see if there is a story about the company that you can share. Every company has its heroes, struggles, and victories. It would be shame if those were lost.