Tag: church story telling

You have a story.

You have a story. Your story is made up of your authentic personality and the life experiences that shape you into who you are today. It’s who you’ve been, what you’ve done, and how those experiences have affected your outlook on life – who you are as an individual. This is what makes you unique. And it’s what gives you the opportunity to connect with others on a deeper level. Your story also has a plotline – meaning that it has a beginning, middle and end. You start out as an underdog and work your way up; maybe there’s a particular event or period of time that changed the course of your life for good. But you have a story, and it’s yours and as you read, you’ll realise, ITS SO SACRED. Don’t let anyone ever stop you from telling your story, ever.

The story of Joseph, Genesis 41

You might be familiar with the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers and sent to work in Egypt. His dream was that one day he would rise to become the second most powerful person in Egypt. And this dream came true! Joseph was able to make his dreams a reality because he planned for them, strategized how they would come true, and put policies in place to ensure their success. This is how you make your goals happen too.

If you have a goal or objective that isn’t being reached as quickly as you’d like it to be—whether it’s making more money or getting fit—consider what steps must happen before achieving that goal? These are things like:

• Planning out a timeline
• Building relationships with key players
• Getting clear on what success looks like (for example: number of sales made per month)

How Joseph’s story can help you today

Joseph’s story is the story of a man who was in prison, but he was not broken. He learned to use his time in prison to create a vision for the future and to begin changing things around him. Joseph inspired others by telling them about his dreams, which eventually became their reality as well.

It is the story of a man who was able to use his creativity to bring about change in himself and others around him.

Step 1. Your content must evolve – from theory to practive, from dream to the plan

You must evolve your content from theory to practise.

Your creativity must also evolve from a dream to a plan.

Dreams grow as plants grow. The bigger the plant gets the bigger the pot will eventually need to be. Make sure your dreams have big pots. Plan for big pots, and dream for even bigger fields and plots.

Once you dream it, you have to make it happen. Your creativity must evolve from a dream into a plan.

This is the next step in taking your content strategy from good to great:

• Dream BIG about what you want your social media presence to look like and feel like. What kind of content do you want to share? On what platforms? With whom? Etc.
• Create a plan for how you’re going to achieve that vision. That could mean creating new graphics, videos or other assets; setting up processes for scheduling posts; hiring writers and designers; learning how-to’s on new software tools like Gif Maker (a free tool provided by Facebook) – whatever it takes! Do what you gotta do. Design what you gotta design. Like these windows. Just do it.

Step 2 like Joseph, put a policy in place that connects your content and creativity with your genuine leadership purpose.

• You know what you stand for, but do others? What’s the message of your organization? How do you want to be seen in the world? Without having an existential crisis, lol, WHO ARE YOU?

There’s that beautiful moment where PO gets asked, WHO ARE YOU?

Kai:
Who are you?

Po:
I’ve been asking myself that question. Am I the son of a panda? The son of a goose? A student? A teacher? I’m all of those things. [Po’s chi forms the shape of a dragon around him] I am the Dragon Warrior! Get it? You see the giant dragon?

• To answer these questions, define what’s important to you (or business) and create a mission statement or vision statement that communicates it. Also make sure all your friends and family (and employees) understand how their work fits into this plan. They’ll be more committed when they understand how their contributions contribute value to the overall outcome—and so will customers and partners!

Step 3. You are ready to lead creatively and authentically, leading with a relational heart.

Leading with your story is the most authentic way to lead in a world of digital distraction. Your story is real and true—not manufactured or curated. Your lived experience and absolutely who you are. TAKE A DEEP BREATHE HERE.

You will need to ask yourself some tough questions: What are my values? What do I believe in? Why am I here? How do I want people to feel when they interact with me? When you know what matters most to you, then you can begin sharing it through words, images and videos that reflect who you really are even as they attract like-minded peers who resonate with your authenticity.

Leading with purpose is another important element for becoming an influencer. There’s no point in being creative if there’s no clear reason for doing so beyond ‘because.’ Think about the purpose behind everything that makes sense for your brand or organization before jumping into content creation mode: Why does this matter? Who cares about this issue (or cause)? How will this help someone else?”

Authentic and creative leaders lead with THEIR stories, not other people’s

Authentic and creative leaders lead with their stories.

Relational leaders lead with their stories.

Story is king (and queen).

I want to highlight. “Our stories are sacred” is a phrase that highlights the idea that our personal stories, experiences, and histories are valuable and important. It suggests that our stories are not only meaningful to us as individuals, but also hold a deeper significance and value.

As individuals, our stories are incredibly valuable and important. They are the foundation of our identity, the source of our strength and resilience, and the way we connect with others. Our stories are the threads that weave together the tapestry of our lives, giving shape and meaning to our experiences.

When we share our stories with others, we open ourselves up to vulnerability and connection. We invite others to see us for who we truly are and to witness the struggles and triumphs that have shaped us. This can be a deeply transformative and healing experience, as it allows us to feel seen, heard, and understood.

Let us remember that our stories are sacred and hold them close and cherish them. And let us also have the courage to share them with others, knowing that in doing so, we are honoring ourselves and the human experience that we all share.

So, how do you lead creatively and authentically as a leader? It’s simple. You tell your story – the story that motivates you to action. Then, you connect this story with the creativity needed to build a plan for your organization that is aligned with your true leadership purpose. The result is an innovative strategy that reflects your values (and those of those around you).

Please mail me, dean@deancothill.co.za and I would love to chat and share stories…

Grace and peace

Dean