Leadership as storytelling

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME. THEY HAVE ALL BEEN HERE: BYRON, KEATS, SHELLEY, IBSEN, GRIEG, BJØRNSTJERNE AND UNDSET. THEY MADE THE JOURNEY, IN THE WORDS OF GOETHE, «TO SEEK THAT CENTRE TOWARD WHICH I WAS ATTRACTED BY AN IRRESISTIBLE IMPULSE.»

In Rome we will benchmark ourselves according to a time that was a breeding ground for great leaders, not because they were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but because they had learned a lesson in realpolitik about what works in leadership. Books are still being written about these leaders for the leaders of today and we will see that what they learned coincides astoundingly with what modern theories about management teach us.

The power of storytelling focuses on what lies behind extreme result achievement in turbulent times of change. The myth connects important leaders of change to the few, divinely gifted individuals who changed the course of history. In reality, such magnificent leadership is neither rare nor mysterious. Viewing the leader as a storyteller highlights an exceptional type of result-based leadership. The results stem from a number of traits found in the leader: the ability to make a practical political analysis of situations, to create meaning for one’s followers, the skill of communicating fundamental values, and most importantly, the will to believe in and exemplify this in practice. It is here some leaders set themselves apart from many others.

 

They stand out as living examples of the fundamental idea for governing the community. They succeed or fail in terms of whether they understand and adapt their story to the larger story, which in this case is Rome itself. 

The stories are powerful. Through theoretical perspectives and the history of Rome, we adapt the seminar to the needs of your organization. This could be a seminar where the story about the organization is to be perfected, where the management group will design your genuine narrative of change or a seminar in which the focus is on the individual leader’s story – and thereby on building a strong foundation for authenticity, strength of character and robustness. 

 

Following in Caesar’s footsteps gave the management team of SpareBank 1 SR-Bank inspiration, fascination and a concentrated focus on the most important of all-important aspects for both the team’s and SR-Bank’s continued development.

Terje Vareberg, former CEO at SpareBank 1 SR-Bank and chairman of the board for Norsk Hydro and Statkraft