The company story is a composite of how you represent yourself to employees, customers, and the general public. It is tied closely to your reputation, reinforced by your integrity, and defined by your behavior. Your story is the essence of who you are, what you believe in, and how you act out your character in a business play. Think of your story as if it were presented in a theater. Your story can be a comedy, a tragedy, or a musical. There will be a cast of characters, some good, others not so good, each telling their own version of the story.
Most organizations are in trouble because their main characters in the play, the managers, tell stories that don’t hang together. Three problems are associated with their composite company story. First, the story is badly told; second, it is not acted out in a coherent manner; and third, it doesn’t ring true. The sales department is living one story while operations follow a different theme. Finance has its own world while marketing occupies still another cloud. Is it any wonder employees are confused? They seem to be working for different companies simultaneously.
In conclusion, they fail because their stories are not consistent, congruent, or believable. Basically, employees want to believe in their management. They want to come to work every day to excel. People need a cause to believe in and work toward. Leaders in history have known this need and have played it to both good and bad returns for humankind.