This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:
- The Hidden Half of Intelligence We’ve All Been Ignoring
- On the Show: Stop Wasting Money on Bad Communication
- Book Recommendation: Unlocking Team Genius
The Hidden Half of Intelligence We’ve All Been Ignoring
You are smarter than you think.
Here’s why:
In the modern world, intelligence is almost universally defined as logic. But logic requires data, and in real life data is almost always in short supply.
So what’s been missing from our understanding of intelligence?
According to mind-blowing new research, it’s story.
The human brain is real-life smart because it thinks in story.
Story is not a way to communicate but a form of intelligence.
Says Angus Fletcher, professor of story science at Ohio State University.
Of the 80 books I’ve read this year so far, his Primal Intelligence is easily my numero uno.
Stories didn’t evolve around the campfire thousands of years ago. Story is much, much older.
In fact, the two functions of intelligence – logic and story – evolved over half a billion years and can be found not just in humans, but many animals.
Our first concern – to eat – is the origin of logic. “What are the chances there is food over that hill?”
The second – don't get eaten – is the origin of story. “What if there is a snake in that bush?”
While logic computes what is probable, story creates what is possible.
What does that have to do with business? Well, everything.
Your Business Runs on 3 Stories
STRATEGY is the story of what your organization wants to do.
OPERATIONS is the story of what your organization is doing.
MARKETING is the story of what your organization wants people to think it is doing.
In successful organizations the three stories are aligned. In dysfunctional organizations they diverge, creating inauthentic marketing and communications.
Create the Future With Your Story
Aristotle wrote that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. True – just not necessarily in that logic order.
Here’s how you create the future with a story:
Start with the Middle, then tell the Beginning, then the End.
Wait, what, start in the middle? Yes. Shakespeare did it, Hollywood movies do it all the time.
You’ve probably noticed that many movies start with a dramatic scene from the middle part of the plot like a crisis or surprise. The movie cuts back and tells the story from beginning to end.
Middle → Beginning → End
Cool, but I don’t work in Hollywood, you may think.
Good thing we’ve adapted this idea for business. We start a story not at the beginning but with a threat or opportunity.
In fact, many frameworks in my free storytelling ebook follow this illogic, like “Excite - Disturb - Assure” or “Problem - Solution - Benefit”.
Now here’s the kicker: Internal communication is the inverse of external communication. It seeks cohesion instead of dissemination.
Give your team a vision or single goal and tell them why. Then you let them figure out the middle themselves.
Simply put: End (where we want to be) → Beginning (where we are now) → Middle (the way to get there).
End → Beginning → Middle
Much communication in business fails because we expect people to behave purely logically. But “here’s the info, now let’s go,” is a recipe for failure as a leader.
We have two legs to stand on and two forms of intelligence to get things done – let’s use them both.
Story is a crucial part of your communication. But when it comes to leading teams, presenting with authority, and oozing confidence when everyone is rattled, you need the full toolkit.
That’s why I’m hosting an October Webinar Series of three webinars (it’s free).
Join me for:
ON THE SHOW
Stop Wasting Money on Bad Communication
I do a weekly show to help you become a top 1% communicator. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or Youtube.
Bad communication costs businesses $37 billion a year, and chances are, it's costing you too.
My guest, Celeste Headlee, has reached millions with one of the most-watched TED Talks of all time.
She’s a global authority on conversations and the author of We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter.
She shows us how to save money by communicating better. Plus: she exposes the bad advice you’ve been given by so-called experts.
Listen to the full episode here:
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Unlocking the Collective Genius of Your Team
I’ve been a huge fan of Jon Levy’s work ever since his bestselling book “You’re Invited” came out.
Long before he became a recognized author, Jon started to create extraordinary experiences that brought together a fascinating mix of people – athletes, scientists, artists, and leaders from all walks of life.
His secret? He invited them to cook a meal together from scratch, with one rule: no one was allowed to talk about their careers until much later in the evening.
By then, everyone had already bonded on a deeper, more human level.
The surprise people felt when they realized they’d just shared a cutting board with a world-class athlete or the guy who did the barking for the hit song “Who let the dogs out” was exactly the kind of magic Jon wanted to create.
With his new book “Team Intelligence”, Jon Levy doubles down on his lifelong fascination with human connection.
Studying extraordinary leaders, Jon noticed how different they all were, yet they shared one critical trait: the ability to spark magic between their people.
This led him to the key insight of his book: success isn’t about gathering the smartest people in the room – it’s about creating a room where people can be their smartest together.
I’m thrilled to have Jon on the show next week, where he’ll reveal the secrets to unlocking the collective genius of your team.
Have an inspired weekend,
Oliver
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