TheLeadersGuidetoStorytelling:MasteringtheArtandDisciplineofBusinessNarrative

StephenDenning

Storytellingandleadershiparebothperformanceartsandlikeallperformancearts,they
involveatleastasmuchdoingasthinking.
Intersectionofleadershipandstorytelling.
Only10%ofallpubliclytradedcompanieshaveprovedthemselvesabletosustainfor
morethanafewyearsagrowthtrajectorythatcreatesaboveaverageshareholder
returns.
Mergersandacquisitionsonlysucceedintermsofaddingvaluetotheacquiring
companyof15%.
Whatifyourairlinesflightsonlyarrived1015%oftime?Orifsurgicalprocedureswas
onlysuccessful1015%oftime.
Managersthushavelittlereasontobecomplacentabouttheircurrentmodeofgetting
results.
Thechoiceisnotaboutusingstorytellingornot.Butrathertouseunwittinglyand
clumsilyorintelligentlyandskillfully.
Storytellingisasizablepartoftheeconomy.Persuasionconstitutesmorethanofthe
USGNP.IFstorytellingishalfofpersuasion,thatamountsto14%ofGNP,ormorethan
atrillion$s.
Differentnarrativepatternsareusefulforthedifferentpurposesofleadership.
Learningtotellstoriesisnotsomuchataskoflearningsomethingasitisreminding
ourselvesofsomethingwealreadyknowhowtodo.
Storytellingismorethanonetool:itsawholearrayoftoolstoolsthatcouldhelp
achievemultiplepurposessuchassparkingpeopleintoaction,communicatingwhoyou
areorwhoourcompanyis,transmittingvalues,sharingknowledge,tamingthe
grapevineandleadingintothefuture.
Disciplineofstorytellingdealswithleadershipmorethanmanagement.Leadership
dealsmorewiththeendsthanthemeans.Concernsissueswherethereisno
agreementonunderlyingassumptionsandgoalsorwherethereisabroadagreement,
buttheassumptionsandgoalsareheadingforfailure.
Leadershipisessentiallyastaskofpersuasionofwinningpeoplesheartsandminds.
Adifferentkindofleader
Thecaseismade,stepbystep,thatifyouconsistentlyusethenarrativetoolsdescribed,
youwillacquirenewcapabilities.Youcommunicatewhoyouareandwhatyoustand
for,otherscometoknowyouandrespectyouforthat.Becauseyouareattentivetothe
worldasitis,yourideasaresound.Youspeakthetruth,youarebelieved.Youmake
yourvaluesexplicitandyouractionsareconsistentwiththosevalues,yourvalues
becomecontagiousandothersstarttosharethem.Youlistentotheworldandthe
worldlistenstoyou.Youareopentoinnovationandhappyaccidentshappen.
NarrativepatternscanbelearnedbyanyonewhowantstoleadthemCEO,middle
management,onthefrontlinesofanorganizationoroutsideanyorganizations
altogetheranyonewhoseesabetterwaytodothingsandwantstheorganizationto
change.

1TellingtheRightStory
Analysismightexcitethemind,butithardlyoffersaroutetotheheart.

Eightdifferentstorypatterns:
o Sparkingactiondescribeshowasuccessfulchangewasimplementedinthe
past,butallowslistenerstoimaginehowitmightworkintheirsituation.Avoid
excessivedetail.justimagine,Whatif
o Communicatingwhoyouareprovidesaudienceengagingdramaandreveals
somestrengthorvulnerabilityfromyourpast.Providesomedetails;ensure
audiencehastimeandinclinationtohearyourstory.Ididntknowthatabout
him!,NowIseewhatshesdrivingat.
o Transmittingvaluesfeelsfamiliartotheaudienceandwillpromptdiscussion
abouttheissuesraisedbythevaluebeingpromoted.Usebelievablecharacters
andsituationsandensurethestoryisconsistentw/youractions.Thatsso
right!Whydontwedothatallthetime?
o CommunicatingyourbrandIsusuallytoldbytheproductorserviceitself,or
thecustomerwordofmouthorbyacrediblethirdparty.Besurethebrand
deliversonthepromise.Wow!Ivegottotellsomeoneaboutthat.
o FosteringcollaborationRecountsasituationthatlistenershavealso
experiencedandpromptsthemtosharetheirownstoriesaboutthetopic.
Ensurethatasetagendadoesntsquelchthisswappingofstoriesandthatyou
haveanactionplanreadytotaptheenergyunleashedbythisnarrativechain
reaction.ThatremindsmeofthetimeIvegotastorylikethat.
o TamingthegrapevineHighlightsthroughgentlehumorsomeaspectofa
rumorthatrevealsittobeuntrueorunreasonable.Avoidsthetemptationtobe
meanspirited.Nokidding!Idneverthoughtaboutitlikethatbefore.
o SharingknowledgeFocusesonproblemsandshows,insomedetail,howthey
werecorrected,withanexplanationofwhythesolutionworked.Solicit
alternativeandpossiblybettersolutions.Gosh!Wedbetterwatchoutfor
thatinthefuture.
o LeadingpeopleintothefutureEvokesthefutureyouwanttocreatewithout
providingexcessivedetailthatwillprovetobewrong.Besureofyour
storytellingskills.Wheredowestart?Letsdoit!
Differentcombinationsofstorycanbewoventogetherasanintegrativenarrative
tapestry.
TheROIofstorytelling.Oftentherequesttoquantifybenefitsismerelyapretextfor
takingnoaction,orapolitewayofmakinganegativestatement.
MintzergsclassicNatureofManagerialWork,showedthattalkingcomprises78%ofa
managerstime.
Whenstorytellinggetsthemessageacrossmoreeffectively,itsincrementalcostis
zeroorclosetozero,andsoitsROIismassive.
Mostchangeprogramsunsuccessful.Studyof40companiesinvolvedinmajorchange.
Eachprojectinitiatedbyseniormgt,e.g.,SixSigma,businessprocessrevamps.
Remarkablehowlittlesuccessthecompanieshadwiththeirchangeprograms.Key
findings:
o 58%ofcompaniesfailedtomeettargets;
o 20%capturedonlya1/3rdorlessofwhatwasexpected.
o 42%whoweresuccessfulnotonlygainedexpectedreturns,insomecases
exceededthemby200300%.
o Storytellingwasakeysuccessfactor.Withoutastorytellingcapacity,the
chancesofsuccessweresignificantlylower.

Thereisnosimplecauseandeffectrelationshipbetweenintroducingamanagement
techniqueandgettinganimprovedbusinessresult.

2TellingtheStoryRight
Fourkeyelementsinstorytelling:
StyleTellthestoryasifyourweretalkingtoasingleindividual.Avoidhedges.Dont
givealternatepointsofview.Keepthestorysimple,focusedandclear.Presentthe
storyassomethingvaluableinitself.LouGerstner,cleartohimandtomanyothers.
Beyourself.
TruthDontwastertimewithgrindingpersuasion.Offerlistenersanunobstructed
viewofthetruthandlistenerswillseeitandrecognizeitforwhatitis.Anyreasonable
personwouldhavetoagree.Dontargue,present.Makethestorytellingexperiencea
sprint,notamarathon.
PreparationBerehearsedbutnotspontaneous.Choosetheshapeofyourstoryand
sticktoit.Showonlythefinalcut,likeamoviedirector.
Deliverya1973findingatonly7%ofthemeaningofacommunicationcamefromthe
contentofthewordsspoken,while93%ofmeaningcomesfromnonverbal
communication.
Toconnectwithyouraudience,youapproachthetaskofstorytellinginteractivelyand
modelyourbehaviorontheconceptfconversationadialoguebetweenequals.You
proceedonthebasisthattherelationshipbetweenyouandyourlistenersis
symmetrical.Youtalkasifthelistenerscouldtakethenextturnintheconversation.

3MotivateOtherstoAction
Leadershipiscentrallyaboutinspiringpeopletoimplementnewideasinthefuture.
Andnotjustgrudginglybutenthusiastically,becausetheybelieveinit.
Itsnotjustanystorythatresultsinpeoplebuyingintomajorchange.
MainElementsoftheSpringboardstory.
o Changeideabehindthestoryiscrystalclear.
o Storyisbasedonanactualexamplewherethechangewassuccessfully
implementedthatis,itsatruestory.
o Storyistoldfromthepointofviewofasingleprotagonist.
o Theprotagonististypicaloftheaudience.
o Thestorygivesthedateandplacewhereithappened.
o Thestorymakesclearwhatwouldhavehappenedwithoutthechangeidea.
o Storyistoldwithlittledetailinminimalistfashion.
o Storyhasapositivetoneithastohaveanauthenticallyhappyending.
o Storyislinkedtothepurposetobeachievedintellingit.
ClearPurpose.Thefirststepisgettingclearonthechangeideathatyouaretryingto
getacross.
Foreachoftheotherstepsintheprocess,ask:isthispartofthestoryrelevantto
communicatingmypurpose?Ifthestorytellerisntclearonthepurpose,thestory
usuallyfails.Thechangeideahastobespecificenoughsothatpeoplecoldseewhether
theyaremakingprogresstoimplementitornot.Ifyourehavingpersistentdifficultyin
comingupwithastorytocommunicateachangeidea,checktheclarityofthechange
idea.Putyourchangeideainwriting,preferablyasinglesentence.
Thesecondstepintheprocessistothinkofanincidentwherethechangeideahas
alreadyhappened.

Foraspringboardstory,statethedateandplacewheretheeventhappened.Theright
way,thenormalway,tosignalthatyouaretellingatruestoryistogivethedateand
place.
Whoisthesingleprotagonistofyourstory?Theheroorheroine?Notagroup,ateam,
acompany,acountry.Asingleperson.
Youtellthestoryfromtheperspectiveofsomeonewhowillinspireyouraudienceto
say,Iknowthatsituation!Ivebeenthere!Ivehadthatproblem!Andsothey
identifywiththeprotagonist.INeffect,theystarttoliveasimilarstoryfor
themselves.Theymaybelisteningtothestorythatyouaretelling.Buttheyre
startingtotellthemselvesanewstoryinwhichtheybecometheprotagonist,inwhich
theyundertaketheherosjourney,inwhichtheyencounterandovercomeobstacles,
andinwhichtheyattainthegoal.(WipeoutBenistheprotagonistletthereader
alsobetheprotagonist)
Invitetheaudiencetomakelargeandrapidleapsofimagination.Inabusinesssetting,
stripoutallunnecessarydetail.Theminimaliststyleleavesplentyofspaceforthe
audiencetoimagineanewstoryintheirowncontext.
Foreachmemberoftheaudience,youactuallyhavetwolisteners.Theresthephysical
personyouseeinfrontofyouandtheresalsoasecondlistenerknownasthelittle
voiceinthehead.
Whatmakestheminimaliststorysopowerfulisthatisresolvesafundamental
conundrumoftransformation.Transformationmustbebothpersonaltoallparticipants
andcentrallydirectedinordertobecoherent.
Aspringboardstorytoldinaminimalistfashionresolvestheparadoxbycreatinga
vehiclethatencouragesalllistenerstocraftsimilarstories,eachofwhichisstillthe
listenersownstory.Theresultispersonalizedcoherenceacrosslargenumbersof
people.
Inastoryaimedatsparkingaction,youhavetohaveahappyending.
Howtogiveenoughguidancebutnottoomuch?UsethemagicphrasesofWhatif
andJustthink
Negativestoriesgetpeoplesattention,buttheydontsparkaction.Theactioncomes
fromapositivestorythatshowsthewayforward.Sousethenegativeknowledge
sharingstorytoconveythemessagethatthesituationisindeedgrim,butfollowitwith
thepositivespringboardstorythatshowshowtosolvetheproblem.
Twowaystogettheaudiencesattention.Oneistotalkabouttheaudiencesproblems.
Talkabouttheissuesthatarekeepingthemawakeatnight.Theotherwayistotell
themwhoyouare.Tellthemastorythatcanbegintogeneratetheinterestandtrust
youwillneedasaplatformtospringthemintothefuture.
TemplateforSpringboardstoryp.75.

4BuildTrustinYou
Thefirstreasonyoutellastoryistoshowpeoplewhoyouaretostopbeinga
stranger.
Youruniquenessasanindividualyourveryidentitydoesntlieintherolesyoufillor
theabstractvaluesyouclaimtohave.Itresidesintheoneofakindpersonthatyou
havebecomeasaresultoftheexperience4syouhavehad.
HowtoTellYourStory
Astorythatcommunicateskeychoicesyouhavemadeinyourlife.

Formostofus,ourownhopesandfearstendtogetinthewayofrealisticassessmentof
whoweare.
Oneoftheunderlyingprinciplesofmostpsychotherapy:Creatingasituationthat
requirespersonalstorytelling,participantsseemtodiscoveradegreeofcoherencethat
wasnttherebefore.
Peoplelookforsomeonewithaselfimagethatislargelyconsistent.Itistherefore
importantforyouasaleadertohaveaclearviewofapersonallifestorythatisaligned
withthefactorsofyourlife.NewtGingrichasanexampleduringBillClintonpresidency.
Ittakescouragetotellastrongpersonalstory,becausethestoryimpliescertainvalues
thatyouwillholdtoeveniftheworldchanges.
Afruitfulsourceofstoriesofwhoyouareconcernstoriesaboutturningpointsinlife,
momentsofdisruptionwhenyourworldasitappearsonthesurfaceisdisturbedby
someincidentthatgivesaglimpseoftheseregionsofdeeperfeelingandhowthey
affectedyou.
Makingsuretheaudiencewantstohearyourstory:
o Firstencounter
o Adifficultdecision
o Coachingorcounselingdecisions
TemplateforWhoYouArestoryonp.99.

5BuildTrustInYourCompany
Tellingthestoryofyourbrand.

6TransmitYourvalues
Distinguishingthedifferenttypesofvalues
o 1.Valuesoftherobberbaronsbarefacedgreed;
o 2.Valuesofthehardballstrategistsstepawayfromrobberbarons.The
heirsofMachiavelli;theyliveinanamoralworldandhavenoworthwhilevalues
totransmit;
o 3.ValuesofthepragmatistsCostcoexample.
o 4.GenuinelyethicalvaluesStarbucksandSouthwest;
Somecompaniesfaceavaluesbankruptcyeventhoughfromafiscalstandpoint,they
aresolvent.
Althoughitmaynotbeclearwhethergoodenvironmentalandsocialpracticesalways
createvalueforshareholders,itisnowevidentthatbadonescandestroyit.Sincethe
brandisoftenthemostvaluableassetonthebalancesheet,firmsareparticularly
vulnerabletobadnewsabouttheirvalues.
Peoleoftenhavedifficultinansweringquestionslikethese:
o Sotellmewhatyourvaluesare?
o Onaonetofivescale,doyouvaluethis?Orthat?
Valuesliveintheactionsthatpeopleengageinandthestoriesthattheytellaboutthese
actionstotrytomakesenseofthem.
Herearetopicsthatcanbeusedtopromptstoriesthatrevealvalues:
o Occasionswhereyoufacedadversity;
o Timeswhentwovaluesconflicted;
o Whatyoufindmostsatisfyinginworkingwithyourfirm;
o Somethingthatshowedyouwhatyourorganizationisreallygoodat;
o Theworstthingthateverhappenedtoyouinyourorganization;

Howaclientwasbadlytreatedbutiteventuallyturnedoutwell;
Yourhappiestdayatwork;
Somethingthatyourorganizationisgoodatbutfewpeopleknowabout;
Somethingthatshowedyouwhatyouhavetodotogetaheadinyour
organization;
Sometimestoomuchtoaskapersontotellastoryaboutthemselves.Soaskthemto
shareastoryaboutsomeonewhomadeadifferenceintheirlife.Couldbeabout:
o Someonetheyknewwhentheyweregrowingup;
o Someoneintheorganizationwhohasmeantalottothem;
o Thepersontheyadmiremostinyourorganization;
o Thepersonwhoisclosesttothemintheorganization;
o Someonewhodidbetterintheorganizationthananyoneexpected;
o Someonewhoreallytaughtthemtheropesattheorganization;
7GetOthersWorkingTogether:UsingNarrativetoGetThingsDoneCollaboratively
Workgroupsarethetraditionalsubunitsinanorganization:departmentsordivisions.
Theyentailpeopleworkingonthesamesubjectandsometimesinthesamespace.
Teamsareorganizationalgroupingsofpeoplewhoareinterdependent,whoshare
commongoals,whocoordinatetheiractivitiestoaccomplishthesegoals,andwhoshare
responsibilityfortheperformanceofthecollectivity.
Whileworkgroups,teamsandcommunitiesareconceptuallydistinct,inpracticethey
tendtooverlap.
CollaborationRestsonSharedvalues
Oftenthebasicsarentinplacetoenableteamworktohappen.
Theresadeeperrootcausecollaborationrestsonvalues.Andtheespousedvaluesof
collaborationandtheoperationalvaluesatworkoftenexistonoppositesidesofadeep
gap.
Growingnumbersofpeopleareinterestedinmovingfromaworldofmetoaworldof
we.
Theviabilityofahigherperformanceteamorcommunityisgoingtodependonits
members.Forthemtogettofirstbase,theymusthaveaminimumdegreeof
understandingofthenatureoftheentitytheyarecreating.
Highperformanceteamsarerareandtheirnonhierarchical,passionatemodusoperandi
anddistributedleadershipruncountertothepervasivehierarchicalthinkingin
organizationstoday.
12ADifferentKindofLeader
Implicitinallthisisadifferentideaofwhatitmeanstobealeader.Theinteractive,
Tolstoyanleaderworkswiththeworld,ratherthanagainstit.Interactiveleadership
bothaddsandsubtractselementsfromtheleadershippalette.
Interactiveleadershipbuildsonpersonalintegrityandauthenticity.Becauseyoucan
communicatewhoyouareandwhatyoustandfor,otherscometoknowyouand
respectyourforthat.Becauseyouareattentivetotheworldasitis,yourideasare
sound.Becauseyouspeakforthetruth,youarebelieved.Becauseyoutreatothersas
endsinthemselves,notmerelyasmeanstoyourownends,peopletrustyou.Because
youmakeyourvaluesexplicitandactinaccordwiththosevalues,yourvaluesbecome
contagiousandothersstarttosharethem.Becauseyouareopentoinnovation,happy
accidentshappen.Youbringmeaningintotheworldofwork;youareabletoget
superiorresults.Interactiveleadershipdoesntdependonthepossessionofhierarchical
authority.
o
o
o
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LeadershipThatParticipates
Onceleadersadopttheinteractivemodeofthinkingandbehaving,theworldisno
longerseparate.Theyescapefromtheillusionofpassionlessobjectivity,whichmayaim
atclaritybutinevitablyendsupdistortingtheworldbystrippingawaythedimensionof
humanviewpoints,emotionsandgoals.
Ifyouaretoachieveappropriateconnectednesswiththepeopleyoulead,youneed
preciselythosecapacitiesforunderstanding,trustandrespectthattheNapoleonic
modeofmanagementsuppresses.Choosingtofeedcompassioninsteadofdetachment
isoftenridiculedinbusinessasbeinginsufficientlyhardinsufficientlyfirm,hard
nosed,toughminded,aggressiveandultimatelyhardhearted.
Inmostleadershipsituations,trustrespectandcollaborationaresimplymoreeffective
thanpreemptivedomination.
Fortheinteractiveleader,thesituationisverydifferent.Theinteractiveleadercomes
withamessageandanagenda,butalsoseekstointeractwiththeaudienceandlearn
fromtheirviewpoints.Forthispurpose,storytellingisanextraordinarilysuitabletoo.
Sinceallgoodstorytellingbeginsandendsinlistening,thesessionisinherently
participativeandinteractive.
Evenbeforethepresentationhasbegun,theinteractiveleadersshowanappropriate
rapportattheoutsettoenhancethechancesoftheaudiencebeingresponsive.Thus
theleadermightwelcometheaudienceindividually,shakinghandsorotherwise
physicallyacknowledgingtheirpresence.Theinteractiveleaderdoesthisbecauseits
difficulttobeutterlyunresponsivetosomeonewhoisactivelysignalingresponsiveness
andreciprocity.
Sotheinteractiveleaderusesastoryandtheresponsivenessoftheaudiencetothe
storyiscontagious.
Theinteractiveapproachtoleadershipismodeledontheconceptofconversationa
dialoguebetweenequals.Itsnotimpossibletomaintainaconversationofequalswhen
dealingwithsomeonewhoadoptsasuperiorhierarchicalposition,butitisnteasy
thereisaninherenttendencytoslideintoanadversarialrelationshipofeither
submissionorrebellion.
ArethereCEOstodaywhoarerunningrealcompanieswithinteractiveleadership?A
casecanbemadethatLouGerstneratIBMwassometimesinthismode.BillBrattonof
theNYCpolice,TomChappellofTomsofMaine,BillGeorgeofMedtronic,SteveJobsof
AppleComputer,HerbKelleherofSouthwest,AnitaRoddiceofTheBodyShop.The40
orsoideapractitionersTomDavenportandLarryPrusakciteinWhatstheBigIdea?
Thereslittletointhecollectivepsychethatmakesiteasyforpeopletounderstandand
slideintothismodeofoperating.Thismaybepartoftheproblem:societyistryingto
givebirthtoanewtypeofthehumanpsychethatwouldactuallyencouragegood
peopleandinnovationandstillsurviveandflourish.Likeanythingworthwhile,thebirth
pangsarenotpainlessoreasy.Neverthelesstheneedisthere.
InteractiveLeadershipThatIsNotforEveryone
Theinteractiveleadershipapproachwillnotappealtoeveryone.Tothosewhoare
comfortableinthecommandandcontrolmode,tohosewhoaretherobberbarons,the
hardballstrategies,theupwardlymobilelackeys,fawningaidesdecamp,commercial
mercenaries,paidforpoliticiansorschemingdemagogues.Suchpeoplehaveused
inauthenticnarrativeasatoolofmanipulationandcontrol.
Thesepropelledwillgoonpracticingtheircounterfeitleadershipinoffices,danglingthe
threatoflayoffsorotherdisastersoverpeoplesheadswhileincreasingthepaceand

intensityofthework.Theywillgoonusingpseudoempiricalstudiescraftedtocontain
creativepeopleincagesofquietdesperation.Theywillspendtheirtimespeakingto
thosewhoobey,orinordertoforceobedience,ortoseducenewcomerswith
duplicitiousmaneuvers.
LeadershipthatIsRelativelyFreeofEgo
Theinteractiveapproachtoleadershipisnotconcernedmerelywithmakingthedeal.
Thisiskey,becauseifwhoyouaregetsdefinedaccordingtothecurrentrateof
exchangeinamarketplace,thentheaccommodationyoumakewiththeworldwill
distractyou,onedegreeatatime,fromwhatmatters.Thisishowthecommercialized
versionofwhatitmeanstobeapersonbringspeopleunderitsspell.
Byremovingegofromthegame,youchangethenatureofthegame,sincetheprincipal
leverofthoseinthecontrolmodeiseliminated.
Beingrelativelyfreeofegomeansneverexactingrevenge.Youropponentsare
oppressedbyalargerfoetheirownfear.
LeadershipThatisLikeJudo
Whenyoutakeontheroleoftheinteractiveleader,awareofwhoyouare,confidentof
yourvalues,assuredofthesoundnessofyourmissionandcompetenttocommunicate
itthroughastory,youwillacquiresupporters.Youdontfightyouropponents:you
invalidatethem.Thosewhobearthetrappingsofpowerdontnecessarilyhavemuch
authority.
Bestingmeansnotfencingpeopleinyouleavethemroomtochangetheirminds.You
behaveasifyouropponentsareyourallies,demonstratingyourtrustinthemandgiving
themstrengthtodotherightthing.Yougivethemthecouragetochangebycreating
heroicexpectationsforthem.Thebiggertheexpectations,thehardertheywilltryto
achievethem.Achangeinrelationsoccursasallparticipantsrecognizetheneedfor
change.
LeadershipthatHasFeeling
Interactiveleadershipinvolvespassionanotheringredientthatismissingfrom
commandandcontrolleadership.
Anotherreasonwhytheinteractiveleaderresortstostorytellingisitsauralcharacter.
Theearenjoysaprivilegedpassagewaytotheheart,asmaybeseenintheemotional
impactofmusic.
Theinteractivemodeofleadershipisntsimplyaboutbeingemotionallyintelligent;its
aboutactingwithemotionalintelligence.Ifyouareemotionallyintelligentonlyinyour
thoughtswhileyouremaininthecontrolmode,regulatingandoptimizing,thenyouare
unlikelytobesuccessfulinengagingtheemotionsofothers.Itisgenerallythrough
narrativethatyouactivatepassionandchannelthepassioninothersforconstructive
purposes.Toachievetheproperbalanceinherentinwelltargetedandwelldeployed
emotion,youalsoneedtoavoidbeingtoomuchinlovewithorder.
Thecontrolmodeofmanagementisdeadening.Youcanrecognizeitinthegrayfeeling
thatcomesoveryouwhenyouparticipateinadepartmentalmeeting,listeningtothe
voicethatdronesonwiththeannouncementsofnewfindingsthatcouldhardlybe
morebanal,orthelatestreorganization.Thesearestagnantwatersinwhichnoliving
thingflourishes.Thedrearinessofthemodernworkplace.