See a photo of Doug, his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A,Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
Q&A with Doug Rice, Question 5:
Q: How important is it to you and your work to function within the framework of a particular definition of “story?” (i.e., What is a story?) What definition do you espouse?
A: A story in general can be defined as an account of events in the lives
of characters — real or imagined. I think it’s very important, though, to understand a particular definition of story in the context of business. Many people rightly have ethical reservations about the term when they equate it to lying or “making something up.” When I help my clients with their stories, I am not helping them create works of fiction. I am helping them frame who they really are and share it with the world. It’s more like a memoir. While some level of interpretation is necessarily involved, the point is to convey their true identities — not to create fairy tales.
Another distinction I would like to make is between discovering the story, crafting the story and telling the story. Whether the entity be an individual or an organization, the story itself is not only something that is created; it is also something that is revealed. I start the process with my clients by helping them understand their back stories — why they are in business, what they sell, who they serve, how they operate, and their industrial settings. What is in the past is something to discover and not something to construct. I would never ever encourage a client to manufacturer a history that isn’t there.
But the past isn’t the only part of framing the story. For a business, each and every decision shapes the future story. The story is an eternal work-in-progress. The present is the point at which you transition from discovering the story to creating it. The past is the past. It cannot be changed. But, going forward, the person or organization can always choose a better story. Crafting the story has to do with deciding what comes next.
The final component of a business’s story is actually telling the story. In business, this is called marketing. It’s the person or organization sharing what it has learned from its discoveries and what it intends from its creations. It is only lying if it is inconsistent with the business’s history or plans for the future. Otherwise, it is a wonderful thing to share a valuable story. That’s what I help my clients do.