Procurement and the Art of Storytelling

Procurement and the Art of Storytelling

Storytelling has been at the heart of human communication for tens of thousands of years, probably since the very dawn of human kind.  It is how we frame our world, how we remember experiences, and pass these lessons and memories on. Joan Didion, the acclaimed author and journalist, said “we tell stories in order to live."

Increasingly, storytelling is seen as a key attribute of leadership, and as a differentiator for successful leaders.  

Mark Turner, a leading cognitive scientist, linguist, and author summed it up perfectly:

“Narrative imaging – a story – is the fundamental instrument of thought.  Rational capacities depend upon it.  It is our chief means of looking into the future, or predicting, or planning, and of explaining.”

This is so true -  we use stories to connect the past, the present, and the future.  And it’s as applicable in business as it is for history, science, philosophy, or mythology.

Stories are a key way with which we create and convey memories. They resonate with your audience, the listener, at an emotional as well as intellectual level.  And let’s face it, most decisions, business and personal, are made based on emotions as well as logic (often more the former than the latter).

So, what does this have to do with procurement?  Why is it relevant for procurement leaders?

Procurement leaders strive, and too often struggle, with establishing credibility, with creating empathy with their team members as well as senior management, and in building trusted partnerships with their stakeholders.  For many procurement leaders, communications, in terms of both style and approach, is an area for development opportunity.  In short, they have difficulty in finding a common language with their peers, team members, internal stakeholders, senior management, and external suppliers.

How do procurement leaders become good storytellers?

We all have stories to tell, drawing on personal as well as professional experiences.  Everyone does it, whether they recognize it or not.  Effective leaders use this as a way to illustrate lessons learned, to set goals and drive future direction, and deliver coaching and mentoring.  Their stories become a vehicle to create empathy with their audience (which can be an employee, their manager, or vendor with whom they are negotiating), and to engage with them on an emotional as well as intellectual and factual level.  

The result  storytelling opens the door to influence the views of your listener, and to evoke change or agreement.  In other words, it enables you to achieve the goals of effective communication.

What are some of the benefits?

Of course, storytelling is not a replacement for knowledge, facts, or business acumen.  But it is a good way to support and supplement those for more successful outcomes.   Storytelling can allow you to:

• Build bridges with internal stakeholders and foster trust partnerships with them;
• Find common ground with suppliers and other external parties, and ultimately seek mutually acceptable outcomes;
• Drive concurrence (if not consensus) with senior leaders and the C-Suite;
• Strengthen your relationships with your team members; and,
• Enhance your mentoring and coaching skills.

If you are already a storyteller, that’s great! 

Keep doing it.  Hone your craft.  Let it become part of your professional “brand."

If you’re not using storytelling, you should consider it. 

Try it.  Practice it.  I think you will see positive results.

And, if you want to dig deeper into the impact of storytelling for business, check out Jeff Gothelf’s article in Harvard Business Review (10/19/20),  “Storytelling Can Make or Break Your Leadership." 

          “Telling a story is how you build credibility for yourself and your team.”