The number one role of a leader in any organization is that of conversationalist, that of storyteller. A leader, wherever they find themselves, they must tell stories, but they must also enable those they lead to tell stories. Our work is nothing but a story. Everything we do adds to that one story.
I recently met a group of students from Uganda Christian University (thanks to their Lecturer, Edward Tumwine) and till that point this power of stories and conversations hadn’t come clear to me. That moment leading to our conversation was the epiphany and since then, I have revisited something I took for granted, the role of stories, the power of stories. And it’s one of those things, once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
It’s conversations that lead us to what’s critical. It’s with conversations that we peel the layers and get to what’s important. So even in the organization, it’s conversations that lead us to the next point. It’s with conversations that we unlock creativity, innovation, it’s with conversations that we collaborate. Culture is also built through these stories. And like I told those students, the stories are always there, it’s our role to give them an outlet. And there’s the symbolic aspect to stories. We tell stories in different form. That’s why leadership is also very much a visibility role. A leader must be visible. It’s from your visibility that people can read the story. What is the mission? What are the values? The people you lead are making these stories from your visibility.
And organizations stay away from hard conversations, deep conversations. The best organizations never stay away from conversations. Because the day your people stop telling stories, the day you stop telling the big story that’s the day the ruin starts. What should a leader do? Start to lead through conversations. It’s with conversations that we clarify what’s important.
Worry not, there’s so much that artificial intelligence is going to do. So what organizations should now be priming for is creativity, is the art of conversation. Those are not things that artificial intelligence is going to offer. In fact, without these things, many organizations won’t be in position to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence. If you want to bet on anything, bet on conversational leadership.
Photo by Jarritos Mexican Soda on Unsplash