People are Dying to be Heard. Are You Listening?: The Story Formula for Great Leadership and Extraordinary Retention

By John Napper, Author

How do you inspire your staff to work to their highest potential and motivate them to stay in your schools forever?

The Story Formula for Great Leadership and Extraordinary Retention defines leadership through the lens of building and sustaining relationships in the workplace and by inspiring people to do their best work. While there are many ways to build relationships, the Story Formula teaches leaders to understand the value of learning people's stories in order to build a connected workplace culture through conversation.

A thriving workplace culture in schools happens when administrators and principals have clear intentions and strategies to create it. The reverse is also true. A negative culture is a direct result of poor leadership. Several of the qualities educators are looking for include empathy, sense of community, trust, open communication, and caring.

People are talking in the halls of education about the importance of soft skills. Becoming fluent in soft skills is not just educational jargon. Soft Skills are part of the new definition of leadership, and empathy is at the top of the list in the Story Formula.

One of the best ways to sharpen your leadership skills and raise staff morale is by learning people’s stories through conversation. It lets people know that their stories matter, and gives leaders effective strategies to show support and concern. Learning stories lets people know that they’re heard, seen, and valued for the contributions they make to your schools everyday.

These statistics help make a strong case for the importance and the need for empathy.

• Business World says that 92% of leaders from successful organizations believe that positive workplace culture and increased professional performance are closely linked together.
• People with empathetic leaders are 76% more engaged at work.
• 86% of people with empathetic leaders are better able to manage their work/life balance.
• Employee innovation is 62% higher when led by empathetic leaders. 
• 50% of employees feel their work environment is more inclusive when they have empathetic leadership.

In today’s fast paced, demanding school workplace, how can this be done? The Story Formula is a program that can be learned in a short period of time and implemented quickly. Administrators and principals will learn how to build trust with staff, and break down the barriers that keep people from having conversations that matter. It also gives leaders the right questions to ask inviting people to share their ideas, opinions, and feelings.

One of the most important parts of the Story Formula is The Ultimate Rules for Learning People's Stories Through Conversation also referred to as the Ultimate Rules. 

Ultimate Rule #1- Be willing to set aside your personal agenda. In conversation the listener often feels that they may have a better idea about what the other person is talking about, have a burning need to tell their own stories, or share opinions. When that happens, as it often does, the conversation stops and the person sharing their story feels that what they were saying just doesn’t matter. They clam up and stop talking, bringing the conversation to a halt. When hearing people’s stories, and being willing to set aside your personal agenda, the mantra has to be “It’s not about me.” 

Ultimate Rule #2 - Be willing to let the other person drive the conversation where they need it to go, not where you think it should go. It’s often difficult to let someone lead the conversation and be in the driver’s seat, allowing them to say what’s present on their mind in the moment. Difficult? Yes! But extremely important. With the Story Formula, you will learn to invite people into your listening, meaning that you are there to listen to them talk and to let them take the conversation where it needs to go.

Ultimate Rule #3 - Don’t Fix! Don’t Fix! Don’t Fix! Written three times because it’s so vitally important to the Story Formula that is worth repeating. When people are sharing something personal that’s stressful, or emotionally charged, they’re not looking for others to fix them, or give them unsolicited advice. You might think you know exactly what is needed to solve to their problem and help them move past the struggle in their life. The truth is you may, or may not, but you need to resist the temptation to ‘fix them’ at all costs. When you’re tempted to fix, remember not to give swimming lessons to someone who is drowning. 

In conversations while learning people's stories, their voice must be heard the largest percentage of the time. That’s done by simply listening and asking the right questions. Often, that means giving them the gift of your silence. Did you know that listen and silent have the same letters?

The Story Formula gives you strategies to create better connections with the people you support in creating a culture that is positive. It establishes higher levels of trust which are vital to the success of your educators. It lets people know that they are heard, seen, and valued for the contributions they make everyday. 

People are dying to be heard. Are you listening?

To learn more about The Story Formula for Great Relationships and Extraordinary Retention contact us at [email protected]