1. Successful Project
Leadership through
Storytelling
Stephen Carver FAPM

2. The most important skill
for
Project Professionals?

3. Planning
“People don’t like to plan - Planning is
unnatural - It is much more fun just to do.
And the nice thing about just doing is that
failure comes as a complete surprise.
Whereas if you have planned, the failure is
preceded by a long period of despair and
worry”

4. Major Threats to Project Success
Key to graph
A 55
A Bad communication
B 37
between stakeholders
B Lack of planning C 36
C Milestones not being met D 31
D No quality control E 27
E Costs getting out of hand 24
F
F Inadequate resource co-
G 23
ordination
H 17
G Poor overall management
H Mis-management of I 16
progress J 10
I Supplier skills over-
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
stretched
J Supplier under-resourced

5. Sticky Stories

6. But stories are just for children!

7. Newspapers
Books
Magazines
Plays
TV
Adverts
Video Games
Films
Business

8. 1st Principle
of Journalism
FIRST SIMPLIFY
THEN
EXAGGERATE!

9. 1st Principle
of Journalism
SEXY SECRETS
OF POISON
PIE KILLER

10. “Stories are vital
for Leaders!”

11. “A story expresses how
and why life changes
and how it can be”
“Visioning”

12. Logic/Rhetoric Storytelling
“People are not inspired to act
by reason alone”

13. Logic/Rhetoric Storytelling
Conventional Unconventional
Safe Dangerous
Reasoned - logical Emotional - complex
IQ EQ
Engages intellect Engages hearts and minds
Easy to destroy with logic Hard to destroy with logic

16. What’s the
Story?

17. What makes for a
good story?
Has characters
A mind journey
An emotional journey
Embraces complexity
Has structure
Creates meaning – often multiple
Does not tell – it shows
Has an impact
Catalyses change
Is remembered…

18. Has structure

19. Structure
1. Starts with a situation (often balance)
2. Inciting incident unbalances situation
3. Attempts to restore balance
4. Trials of risk and challenge force characters to
face difficult choices/struggle
5. Discover the truth/deliverance
6. New situation…

20. It’s not what you say…

21. Communication Facts
 Speak at 150 WPM
 Process 500-750 WPM
 Average Attention Span 7.5 min
Content
7%
 Relative Importance:
Vocal
35%
Body
Language
58%

22. You are cleverer than you think
Cna yuo raed this at nroaml seped? 55 plepoe out of
100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht
I wasrdanieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan
mnid, aoccdrnig to arscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres
in a wrod are,the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit
and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deosnot raed ervey
lteter by istlef,but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig eh?
And I awlyas tghuot slpeling was ipmorantt!

23. Words Don’t Matter?
Golden Sandwich
3 Rule
Cool/Important/Relevant
Eight Elections Straight
Stories - Dream/Hold/Fear
Voice/Eyes/Body
Connection/Challenge
Change

25. What makes for a
good PROJECT?
Has characters
A mind journey
An emotional journey
Embraces complexity
Has structure
Creates meaning – often multiple
Does not tell – it shows
Has an impact
Catalyses change
Is remembered

26. To tell your Project Story

27. Successful Project
Leadership through
Storytelling
Stephen Carver FAPM