100th Q and A in a Series
This is it! The 100th Q and A in this series that began in 2008. Paul Smith is also the third Smith to participate in the series. Paul wrote in a email to followers that “for the last three years, I’ve had an ambitious goal: to make a significant personal contribution to the voices in leadership and storytelling in the U.S. and around the world. I began that journey three years ago when I started researching and writing a book aimed at bringing the art of storytelling further into the mainstream of workplace practices as a leadership tool, building on the work of authors and practitioners like all of you.” That book has now been published, and Paul talks about it here.
“My research included more than 100 interviews with leaders at dozens of companies and in 13 countries around the world,” Paul says. “I ended up with 100+ stories from CEOs, small business owners, bankers, consultants, teachers, secretaries, scientists, doctors, lawyers, accountants, salespeople, talent agents, engineers, marketers, and even fashion models — demonstrating that storytelling can be helpful no matter what line of work you’re in, or what title is on your business card.” This Q&A will run over the next several days.
Bio: Paul Smith is a keynote speaker and trainer in leadership and 
storytelling techniques, and the author of a newly released book about storytelling as a leadership tool titled Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. In addition to corporate clients, he is a lecturer in the MBA programs at Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati.
Paul also has a full-time role as director of market research at The Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, OH. In his 19 years with the company, he has worked in leadership positions in both research and finance functions, in several multi-billion dollar business units. He is also a highly rated trainer in several P&G training colleges for leadership and communications courses. Prior to P&G, Paul was a consultant for Arthur Andersen & Company.
Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives with his wife and two sons in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, OH.
Q&A with Paul Smith, Question 1:
Q: What surprised you most about story and leadership as you researched and wrote Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire?
A: The fact that storytelling could be used in such a wide variety of situations. Most of the previous literature on business narratives suggests storytelling is appropriate for the same small set of circumstances and objectives: defining the culture, setting a vision, providing inspiration, teaching lessons, encouraging collaboration, and explaining who you are.
But in the course of my research, I found storytelling used to navigate a much wider set of challenges. For example: leading change, making formal recommendations, valuing diversity and inclusion, setting policy without rules, building courage in the face of failure, helping people find passion for their work, providing coaching and feedback, demonstrating problem solving, delegating authority, and encouraging creativity and innovation, among others. In all, I identified 21 common leadership challenges where storytelling can make the difference between mediocre results and phenomenal success. And there are probably 21 more.
There are a handful of stories in my book to help you navigate each of the 21 challenges — more than 100 stories in all.