“We consistently outsold people who had better technology because we knew how to put the story before the customer.” If you need a testimonial for the power of storytelling, that statement from IBM founder Thomas Watson is hard to beat. If may be the source of the old aphorism, “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.”
We’ve heard a lot about the need for executives and managers to cultivate the ability to communicate via storytelling and the power of emotion that it can carry. However, the need to do this competes with the increasing availability and importance of data and a more analytical approach. Which is more important?
If you have to pick one, NYU Professor and start up CEO Scott Galloway votes for story and urges CEOs (and your kids) to master the skills of “Storytelling.” As an indispensable tool for success.
