dispatches from the new world of work

Two More Recs

Per the topic just above, I've got two more reading recommendations. And you know I must be serious, because they are from the Harvard Business Review (12.07), not normally on my "Top 1000 Sources of Inspiration" list.

"The Four Truths of the Storyteller," by Peter Guber. ("The stories that move and captivate people are those that are true to the teller, the audience, the moment, and the mission.")
"Making Relationships Work," an interview with John Gottman. ("Good relationships aren't about 'clear communication'—they're about small moments of attachment and intimacy." PLEASE RE-READ THAT. NOW. BIG "DUH": IT'S AS IMPORTANT AT WORK AS IN MARRIAGE OR CHILD-REARING. It also reminds me of one of my favorite related quotes, from the great American statesman, Henry Clay: "Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.")

Tom Peters posted this on 11/29/07.

Comments

There's definitely a trend emerging among your latest postings Tom â€“ people and stories.

Thank you. It has re-energised me after a recent workshop where some folks in their feedback seemed to think we spent too much time on story telling and anecdotes and not enough time on â€˜hard tangible stuffâ€™ to take away. My response was that stories are what people will remember from the day â€“ and that is surely the best â€˜take awayâ€™ anyone can hope for.

I speak with experience of hundreds of health care conferences over 30 years where quite often the most exciting thing Iâ€™ve taken away from 6 hours of â€˜hard tangible stuffâ€™ is a free pen from the conference centre.

Posted by Trevor Gay at November 29, 2007 6:03 PM