10 years ago, a personal or professional development plan for leaders would often include “developing Executive Presence”: these days it’s story-telling.
If Executive Presence was about radiating the confidence to own a seat at the table, story-telling is sought as a method for bending the table towards our own way of thinking
Whether for winning hearts and minds or humble-bragging on social media, in an age where “influencing” has become professionalised, leaders are expected to be able to spin a good yarn. If we recognise stories as a form of magic that has the power to shape lives and create new worlds....how do we use that power for good?
And…action
I learnt about story structures the way a commis-chef learns about putting together menus. As a young media lawyer I assisted an exuberant lawyer/producer who created the original ‘kickstarter’ financing model for films like’ Kenneth Branagh’s “Henry V”.
Mid morning he would bound into the office, loudly patterned waistcoat endangered by a dripping cheese toasty from the local cafe. Our colourful clients were mainly owls not larks and were rarely spotted before late afternoon.
I learnt so much from Chris Parkinson. That our relationships with clients mattered to them more than legal skills. That laughing a lot and having an emergency stash of chocolate and pre-mixed gin and tonic in my desk were necessities for dealing with ‘creatives’. But I also learnt about the power of story structures or formats. It influenced the next decade of my career in TV producing formats such as “Idol” around Asia.
Our office was littered with unsolicited scripts and treatments. As a particular script purgatory pile started to teeter, it was my job to filter them. I must have read one or two a week at a time when home video was peaking. Action films meant for big screens were no longer the only game in town. Film makers were finding long tail audiences with re-watchable rom-coms or high-concept films that might hook audiences in the sea of movies at Blockbusters : - ’He lives the same day, over and over!’ , ‘His whole life is a TV show!’
“Sliding Doors” was a high concept, rom-com in that London script pile. Fun fact: the original leading lady attached to the script at that time was Helena Bonham-Carter but then Gwyneth won an Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love”…