People Change

Narrative leaders recognize that communicating a story isn’t the same as it being internalized among members. While the one is words the other is trust. Changing narratives is not an overnight proposition but neither does it have to be a lifetime achievement. It does, however, depend on trust being built between you and those who have asked you to lead them. Jim Dethmere (1992) defined human motivation within organizations as being toward the corporation, the community, or the cause. Each is vital to the organization’s work but only one sustains the volunteer: the cause or, stated another way, the purpose for which the organization exists. In the volunteer staffed organization, friendships form, work is undertaken, and money is given all in the context of purpose. Our re-narration efforts are in part acceptable because, aware of purposes’ primacy, we share the understanding of its importance in member’s lives. In so doing, we confirm our own sense of the mission and that our leadership is trustworthy.