The Power of Myth
By Ginger Grant
A long time ago, in a place far, far away, a young woman embarked on an educational journey. To fuel this journey, she worked at a little boutique law firm that not only provided her with the economic wherewithal to continue her education, but also expanded her understanding of what she studied. Her experience at this little law firm continues to enrich her belief in the power of story to enhance and maintain corporate culture. At this firm, there was a story that was told and re-told with relish. Whether all components of the story are true is relative, as truth often is:
There were once two young men who wanted to start a company. Their vision involved bathroom tiles, toilets, tubs, and shiny faucets. The young men firmly believed in their idea to import these fixtures and sell them to the public for their homes. These young men did not have MBAs from prestigious universities, nor did they have polished marketing or business plans; they had a dream. They needed to construct a company to take their dream from idea to action. So, they went to a little boutique firm and recounted their vision of the future to a young lawyer.
You may recognize the company that was eventually incorporated. The name was “Olympia & York” and the two young men were its founders, Albert and Paul Reichmann. The little boutique firm was Davies, Ward & Beck, and the young lawyer involved was Garfield Emerson.
The story of O&Y became a legend and was told within the firm for one simple reason: you never know who will become the next O&Y. Accordingly, each individual and corporation should be treated as having the potential to become a world-leader and an economic force. If you treat each client in this manner, the client will stay with you as they grow. You will have forged a relationship built on the foundation of respect for an individual dream.
As it turned out, upon checking ‘the facts’ with Mr. Garfield Emerson, I was told that he didn’t actually incorporate the company. No matter - when a story attains the status of myth that has the power to drive a firm, the little details become unimportant. The truth of the story is in the message relayed in the telling. This truth is the foundation for a system of beliefs and values that carry an organization or a law firm. The truth lies in the culture created by the belief, the DNA of any firm.
Although Emerson didn’t incorporate the company, but he thanked me for reminding him of the fundamental relationship that needs to be built with any client. That is what I remember about the culture at DWB - the drive for excellence in service and in attitude and the belief held by members of the firm, partners, associates, law clerks and other support staff that no one, NO ONE, could do it better. DWB had a ‘can-do’ culture, with long hours and demanding work. Tiring? Yes, but the culture was full of excitement that permeated the entire firm. There was a sense that our work had meaning, and that each participant in the story had worth. No contribution was too small; every hand counted in the work. Such are my distant memories of the early 1980s in Toronto and perhaps my first introduction to the power of corporate story.
Corporate Stories
We tell stories about our experiences with brands and companies all the time. The vast majority of these stories are forgettable. However, every now and then, one of them catches our imagination and seems to speak to us personally. We are intrigued and want to get closer, learn more; possibly become part of the story ourselves. The stories help to create an emotional bond - one that transcends services or products. In the process, we go from being merely loyal customers or employees to becoming fiercely zealous advocates. We speak proudly and often of ‘our brand’, ‘our company’, or ‘our firm.’ Apple, Nike, Harley-Davidson, Volkswagen, and Jack Daniel’s are a few of the select group that have harnessed the deeply felt energy of story to power their business success. Call them ‘storied brands’ or ‘storied companies’ - in either case, their stories are a significant factor in their success.
Every corporate story begins with an idea that becomes an expanded and shared vision - but before that vision is well-shared (much less completely implemented), the organization must pass through a developmental process that is similar to all human development. In this sense, the growth of a corporation can be seen as a mythic journey, in which the story is the DNA or archetype perpetuating the firm.
It is important that the story carries the fundamental belief system of the organization that is enacted on a day-to-day basis. There can be no disconnect between the story told externally and the story told internally. Recent decades of hard-line, profit margin mentality have eroded the possibility of a meaningful connection between partners and associates and of a shared participation in a law firm’s fundamental vision. Such disconnect in communication, driven by the emphasis on profitability only, ensures that the intellectual capital of individuals is not maximized to its full potential. Emphasis on short-term profitability does not permit the time needed to discover latent potential in individuals, nor does such lack of time permit alignment between the values of the individual and the firm in order to form a collective core. Emphasis on short-term thinking destroys the story. The story is the DNA; the living emotional glue holding a firm together.
If you think of your life in terms of story, creative tension is what makes it interesting. Justice is usually portrayed as blind, suggesting to me to move beyond what is visible to the naked eye. What is the underlying environment or culture in which you work? What is not obvious or clearly understood? What is being said that is unspoken? What are the stories you tell around the water-cooler?
The story you tell externally must reflect the story you live internally - organizational balance starts from within. Is there a disconnect between your external marketing message and your internal corporate culture? If so, work/life balance will become an issue, a symptom of the underlying problem. Consider your external marketing message as a sacred promise to the associates and partners with whom you work. Does your behaviour support your promise? If your message and your behaviour are inconsistent, you will be constantly looking to achieve 'buy-in.' Your associates and staff will also respond negatively, as it becomes obvious the emperor has no clothes. If, on the other hand, your message and behaviour are consistent, you will retain your valuable intellectual capital and the people who help you co-create your story on a day-to-day basis. You will also build a firm that enjoys economic viability, intellectual growth and has personal and professional pride.
Here is a simple exercise that may provide some interesting results. Pick an image that represents the balance you seek in your life. Now pick another image that represents the balance currently experienced in your work. What is the difference between these two images?
This projective technique comes from the world of archetypal psychology - finding the story beneath the story. This underlying story is the foundation for your brand and should drive any external marketing effort. In order to create a brand that is effective, you must reach the heart as well as the mind. Are you communicating what you most deeply care about? If communication is 95% non-verbal, what does your behaviour communicate to your associates? How does your behaviour reflect your internal value system? Can you identify your organizational DNA?
Branding starts from within, the culture that is established by what you do, not what you say. If your marketing efforts are not providing the results you had hoped, you may be attempting to brand something that does not exist. You can’t brand ‘horsepuckey,’ a term originating from my grandmother. She could spot it a mile away. So can your associates. Even worse, so can your clients. You can spend a fortune on letterhead, logos or advertisements in various legal magazines, but if what you say externally is not supported by what you do internally, you will alienate your entire staff and crush firm morale. No one wants to live a lie.
If you follow the power of archetypal branding as a marketing tool, you will see that the metaphors expressed in the brand are aligned with corporate culture. Any brand that has achieved international recognition and market share, any story we proudly tell of ‘our brand’ or ‘our firm,’ has its emotional connection in a living reality – the brand lives up to the promise it offers – it has meaning. Anything else is a betrayal of trust at the deepest level.
As an example of an internal story that sparked employee engagement and innovation, check out the following link: http://www.storytellings.com/clients.htm and click on Ford Commercial No. 1. Can you find the contract? Can you see how the story within became the foundation for the new story without?
If work/life balance is an issue in your firm, you may have disconnected your story from its living source. Work/life balance is the symptom of a disease where personal aspirations are not considered, respected and, more importantly, honoured. The stories you tell are like a living fire. They are the message, the meaning and the myth of your brand. They can spark emotional engagement and light up your future, or, alternatively, burn your house down. What stories are told about your firm? Choose them wisely. More importantly, listen well. Your future depends on it.
About the author:
Ginger Grant is an accomplished program designer and facilitator in Jungian-based learning and motivation. Her personal and professional passion is in the stories associated with the archetypal Heroic Journey and how they can be translated into corporate developmental and branding tools. An adept teacher and stimulating international speaker, Ginger inspires and motivates others to identify and pursue their own unique paths by applying mythic and archetypal thinking to the art of leadership. Her PhD dissertation, to be published shortly, addresses Corporate Culture and Creativity. You can reach her at ginger@creativityinbusiness.org or at http://www.creativityinbusiness.org.
Neither the author nor the CBA should be construed as endorsing any product or website listed in this article. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CBA.
In this document, any reference to "jurist" or "lawyer" includes, where appropriate, "Québec notary". |
