Storytelling Is Leadership

Photo 137609162 | Storyteller © Marek Uliasz | Dreamstime.com

Funny to think that everyone used to think that to be a great leader you had to have the loudest voice in the room, have executive presence and be the expert. With so many examples of how these types of leaders ultimately led their organizations to disaster, it is a good thing that we no longer overvalue these traits. Good news for those of us in Pharmacovigilance, that tend towards introversion (at least for me!).

One of the things I learned over time was the importance of storytelling. I had it completely wrong at the beginning, when I would be in awe of the senior leaders that were great orators that had palpable stage presence or who would just have to say a few words to make their presence felt in any meeting. I could never do that and that is just not me - which was true - but I realized that it was largely due to their positional authority and the fact that they were comfortable around other senior leaders. That moment occurred during a scientific review meeting when I noticed that one of the highly respected senior leaders was vocalizing what I was thinking. Everything changed after that.

Up to that point, I had been discounting myself for my lack of experience and expertise - unless it was in my specific area of knowledge, which meant that I would let others engage in the discussion. I had so many thoughts, ideas and suggestions, but they all stayed in my head. Why say something that is so patently obvious and elementary, right? Thing is that it is not obvious or elementary to everyone, so you might as well get it out there.

So that is what I started doing in the meeting. Making the obvious points and suggestions for improvement of the slide deck. Even asking for clarification when something was not clear - which others agreed did not make complete sense.

Storytelling is not something big or loud. It is just the ability and confidence to say out loud what you are thinking. As you do this more and more, others can respond to your thoughts - both positive or negative. The job of a leader is to set goals, make decision and explain the why - to articulate what your thinking. It is as simple as that to become a storyteller.