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Origin Stories: Using Story to Bring Meaning & Inspiration to Your Team
Anyone who is familiar with super hero franchises grasps the concept of an origin story: it’s a story that rehearses a character’s rise to fame or notoriety. A well-told origin story provides both a clear direction for the character to travel, and a subtle foreshadowing of the challenges and successes that lie ahead.
Origin stories aren’t just for super heroes, and (luckily) they don’t have to be born out of tragedy. Companies and executives have origin stories too – and the telling of them, at times, can be a clear indicator of character, mission, and values.
Two examples of this come to mind. First is the story of UglyDoll, a toy company that makes the “hip but hug-able” plush dolls pictured on the left. When my young son added an UglyDoll to his Christmas wish-list, and I went to Wikipedia to do my homework. What were these creatures?
Turns out UglyDolls are the inventions of David Horvath and Sun Min Kim. Here’s how Wikipedia tells their story:
It started with a letter David Horvath wrote to Sun-Min Kim just after she had to move away due to a student visa expiring, long before they were married. That letter had a cartoon of his character Wage at the bottom saying: “Working hard to make our dreams come true so we can be together again soon” next to it. That dream was to tell stories through books and toys. As a surprise gift Sun-Min sewed a doll of Wage, and sent it to David in the mail. David showed Wage to his pal Eric Nakamura, owner of the Giant Robot magazine and store, who thought David was pitching him a product and immediately ordered a few more for his shop.
Stories Add Meaning and Reveal Character
- Be clear on your personal story, and your organization’s story. What passions led you to the work? What problems were you trying to solve? How did this lead you to where you are today?
- Connect your story to your corporate values and mission. Tap into the heart of your corporate culture when it’s at its best. Be clear about these connections and celebrate them with staff and clients.
- Use your story to introduce yourself or your company to new partners. Tell it to new employees. Hang photos of “the early days” in the lobby.
- Review your past year’s accomplishments and your future plans: can you see the connection between who you dreamed of being, who you are, and who you are becoming? Fix the places where the business has gone astray.
What if your origins aren’t worth celebrating?
If your company was formed in a merger or has another less-than-romantic origin, then regular use of your origin story may not have the impact you desire. But you can accomplish the same goal by drawing on the company’s values and visionaries. Celebrate stories that reflect the corporate mission and vision. Make heroes out of the leaders who charted a bold path for the company. Create a future that is driven by compassionate, responsible, visionary leadership – that story will speak for itself.
Discover your company’s best stories by using our free story-telling tool. Download it here.
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Amber Johnson is the Center for Values-Driven Leadership‘s chief communications officer.
Find free ebooks and other resources at www.cvdl.org/insights.
UGLYDOLL Photo Credit: drugfreedave via Compfight cc