Importance of Communicating the Company Story
By Tribe Inc.
Every company has a good story to build on. Some may think they don’t, but when you dig deep into the process that resulted in your organization’s current level of success, you realize there are important moments people can relate to and empathize with. It’s these singular moments that bring uniqueness to your brand. Not promoting them internally is a missed opportunity in employee engagement.
A company’s story should be seen as an invitation for workers and potential employees to join an experience. A guy working on an assembly line should know that he isn’t just pulling a lever at work every day, he’s developing a product that provides thousands of people with something they need that makes their life better.
Companies use different vehicles to promote their history. Some use a detailed description in a narrative format while others create a timeline that pinpoints the exact moments when important changes altered the company’s direction. Both are valuable resources to help communicate an organization’s history, but having a solid narrative piece is something that makes a real connection with people and supplies them with a solid reason to buy-in to the company’s mission and goals.
Founders of companies such as Howard Schultz from Starbucks and Truett Cathy of Chick-Fil-A have taken pen to paper and written books that tell the life and times of their brands. These books are large sellers because both internally and externally people enjoy a tale of challenge met with a struggle that results in a successful resolution.
Our brains use stories to put content into a context that allows us to understand it at a deeper level. You may use your company story to connect with your customers, but it’s equally if not more valuable to be used to connect with your workforce. The modern day social media explosion has created a platform where every employee within a company is a marketer. Having everyone on the same page across all the different divisions within your company allows clear messaging to any potential customer that may be interested in your products or services.
People are natural storytellers but far too often we lose this part of ourselves when we enter the corporate environment. The simple truth is storytelling within the corporate world is a valuable resource that should not be overlooked. Employees don’t attach themselves to the buildings, tools and materials they use at their job every day, they attach themselves to the vision, mission and values a company represents. Communicating the series of events that unfolded that resulted in their current work environment is one of the best ways to ingratiate your organization into the hearts and minds of your workforce.
This article was originally posted on Tribe Inc.’s blog.
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