WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Spin a good story 

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work, where location and hours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to spend

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<v Speaker 1>a good story. People inevitably want to know why you

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<v Speaker 1>chose your life's work or why you enjoy the things

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<v Speaker 1>you do. If you can come up with stories from

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<v Speaker 1>your past that illustrate a long term passion, you'll increase

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<v Speaker 1>the chances that people remember you and want to help

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<v Speaker 1>you take your story to the next level. Now, I

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<v Speaker 1>should start this episode by saying that I am not

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<v Speaker 1>actually a big fan of explanatory stories. Life is not

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<v Speaker 1>lived in epiphanies. Almost no one has one moment that

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<v Speaker 1>changes everything. I always struggle with the question of how

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<v Speaker 1>did you become interested in time management. People want me

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<v Speaker 1>to tell some story of how my life was out

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<v Speaker 1>of control when I hit rock bottom and discovered scheduling.

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<v Speaker 1>But my life is just not that interesting. I just

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<v Speaker 1>keep trying to do things a little better than before.

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<v Speaker 1>I see what works and go from there. But if

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<v Speaker 1>life isn't lived in epiphanies, stories do involve epiphanies and

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<v Speaker 1>people really love stories. This is how we process the world.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a quirk of human nature that we'd prefer to

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<v Speaker 1>read a story about a pioneering cancer researcher whose grandmother

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<v Speaker 1>died from the particular cancer he's studying, versus a pioneering

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<v Speaker 1>cancer researcher with no personal connection. And none of us

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<v Speaker 1>can really change human nature, So you may as well

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<v Speaker 1>learn to spend a good story. And fortunately, there are

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<v Speaker 1>usually ways to tell stories authentically that make your career

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<v Speaker 1>progression makes sense. Think about why you're doing what you're doing.

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<v Speaker 1>Carve out an hour or two to ponder how people

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<v Speaker 1>might perceive you. If someone were to write a profile

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<v Speaker 1>of you for a magazine, what would you hope it

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<v Speaker 1>would say? What would be the opening anecdote, the story

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<v Speaker 1>that sums up your motivation. Ask your friends and family

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<v Speaker 1>members for what they see as your story. Ask family

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<v Speaker 1>members in particular for memories that lend credence to this platform.

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<v Speaker 1>You know what I'm talking about. If you're a consultant,

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<v Speaker 1>your mom might remind you that you used to check

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<v Speaker 1>the weather forecast and put out your lemonade stand on

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<v Speaker 1>the hottest days. You are always into optimizing revenue Now

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<v Speaker 1>you're just doing it in a different way. If you're

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<v Speaker 1>a litigator who prides yourself on taking on the big guys,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe a family member will recall that you used to

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<v Speaker 1>walk up to really big neighborhood dogs. That's a great

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<v Speaker 1>way to start your story. And of course, once you

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<v Speaker 1>have a story, you can do things now to enhance it.

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<v Speaker 1>Perhaps your volunteer work or your philanthropy can highlight a

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<v Speaker 1>particular angle to your story. Now, it's stressed that this

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<v Speaker 1>US need to be authentic. College admissions officers often sigh

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<v Speaker 1>about well packaged seventeen year olds who seemed to have

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<v Speaker 1>arranged for life changing experiences in order to write about them.

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<v Speaker 1>But just because there are two pat examples doesn't mean

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<v Speaker 1>that stories don't matter. They do. And when you understand this,

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<v Speaker 1>you can tell your story in a way that suggests

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<v Speaker 1>that your next breakthrough is the logical next step. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura, thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>the succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New Corner

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<v Speaker 1>Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you get your favorite shows.