| Stories can inspire or deceive; motivate or | | | | your story is a victim story then you'll find problems. |
| manipulate; challenge or deflate; persuade or console; | | | | If it's about winning at working and achieving your |
| unite or divide; ignite or resolve; anger or connect. | | | | life's potential, you'll see challenges to meet. It's not |
| But, none of this is new news. Stories are | | | | about the words, it's about your self-vision behind |
| everywhere, all the time. In the papers we read, in | | | | them. How you see your life is how you live |
| the content we watch or listen to, and in the places | | | | it.Sometimes we're not even aware of the stories |
| we frequent. That includes our workplaces. And | | | | we've adopted as our own. We've grown up hearing |
| we're all storytellers.The stories we choose to tell | | | | about who we are, what we're like, what abilities we |
| about ourselves and others impact how we're | | | | have or don't have and we overlay those stories |
| perceived at work: team player or not team player; | | | | onto our life as our own. But here's the wonderful |
| victim or problem-solver; resilient or discouraged; | | | | thing about stories. We can write new ones.For much |
| approachable or distant. They impact what work | | | | of my life, a story I lived into was being quiet and |
| culture we help create: trusting or distrusting; silos or | | | | shy. It was true I was a very shy child, but I kept |
| teams; soul-enhancing or soul-depleting. And most | | | | the story alive as I grew older. At times, it kept me |
| importantly they impact how we see ourselves. Our | | | | on the sidelines as a spectator to my life. But now I |
| choice of stories matter, increasing or decreasing our | | | | find that story confining, limiting and detrimental to |
| potential to be winning at working.But the most | | | | the work I want to do. So, I've let go of it and |
| important stories you tell at work are the ones you | | | | replaced it with one that better fits this stage of |
| tell about yourself, to yourself. For me, one of those | | | | who I am and what I'm about. I've chosen a |
| is that I'm technically challenged. Okay, I know what | | | | different story to live into.You see, you have the |
| you're probably thinking and you're right. The more I | | | | power over your life story. Winning at working is a |
| tell myself the story of my technical incompetence, | | | | choice. What I learned in twenty years in |
| the more likely it is that my behavior lives up to my | | | | management is this: people who are winning at |
| expectations. That's true on the reverse side, too. | | | | working realize they're the ones with the pen. They |
| Another self-story for my life is that I can invent the | | | | know they're the author of their own work story |
| future that I want to face. In both cases, as T. Harv | | | | and they act accordingly. So, if they don't like how |
| Eker puts it, "You will live into your story."Kyle | | | | their story is evolving, they create a better one and |
| Maynard is a good example. Before he was nineteen | | | | start living it. They write their story as they go, |
| he was a Wrestling Hall of Famer with the impressive | | | | building the outcome they desire.(c) 2006 Nan S. |
| title of the "World's Strongest Teen." He's been living | | | | Russell. All rights reserved.Sign up to receive Nan's |
| into his story, summarized by the title of his book, | | | | free biweekly eColumn at Nan Russell has spent over |
| "No Excuses." You see, Kyle has a congenital | | | | twenty years in management, most recently with |
| condition called quadramenbral phocomelia. He has no | | | | QVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership |
| limbs below the elbows and knees. His becoming a | | | | positions in Human Resource Development, |
| wrestling champion goes beyond normally impressive | | | | Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan |
| feats. But Kyle lives his "no excuses" story not only | | | | has a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. from |
| in the wrestling arena, but in all parts of his life, | | | | the University of Michigan. Currently working on her |
| learning to type fifty words a minute and drive a | | | | first book, Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared, |
| car.What stories are you building your life around? | | | | Nan is a columnist, writer and speaker. |
| Are they enhancing your potential or minimizing it? If | | | | |