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Stories and Storytelling

Stories provide context that can make it easier to internalize values and lessons of leadership and experience. This section offers resources about the art of storytelling as well as numerous inspirational success stories of public sector leadership.

GovLeaders.org Leadership Story Contest!
Submit a story of public sector leadership by May 27, 2008, and you may win a free copy of Mike Abrashoff's new book, It's Our Ship. Find out how.

Storytelling

Leaders and Stories

Senior government executives have a vital role to play in growing the next generation of leaders, argues Ray Blunt in this highly useful article from The Public Manager. Blunt describes how stories can help executives pass leadership lessons on to the next generation in a vivid way. Includes tips on how to identify one's own leadership stories.

The Six Stories You Need to Know How to Tell

Chapter One of the terrific book by Annette Simmons, The Story Factor. In this part, Simmons explains why stories are so much more effective than "facts" in influencing people and describes the six key kinds of stories that leaders need to be able to tell. Includes several examples of highly effective stories.

Stories

Four-Star Management

When General Bill Creech (1927-2003) took command of the US Air Force's Tactical Air Command (TAC) in 1978, the organization was in dire straits. Combat readiness was at an all-time low, maintenance was sloppy, and accident rates were high. The Air Force as a whole was being described by some observers as "ready for the last war" (as opposed to being ready for the next one). In his six years in charge of TAC, Gen. Creech orchestrated an extraordinary turnaround that ultimately swept through the rest of the Air Force and many other parts of the U.S. Armed Forces. Many people credit Creech's leadership, management reforms, and tactical innovations for the USAF's dominance in the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq. This is one of the most compelling--and useful--stories of organizational transformation you will find anywhere. Originally published by INC. Magazine in January 1987, this article was just recently added to INC.com's online archive.

Build Up Your People

Commander Mike Abrashoff's success in turning the USS Benfold into the best ship in the Pacific Fleet (if not the entire U.S. Navy) were first reported in the terrific 1989 FastCompany article, "Grassroots Leadership." Abrashoff has gone on to publish two Best Sellers, It's Your Ship and "Get Your Ship Together," both of which are great reads with many useful insights. In October 2004, ICMA's PM Magazine published the article "Build Up Your People," which is excerpted from Abrashoff's first book. As with Abrashoff's other books and articles, this one is inspiring because it includes a rare combination of 1) compelling stories; 2) clearly measurable results, and 3) actionable tips.

Courage in Crisis

Ambassador Prudence Bushnell, recipient of the 2004 Service to America Medal for Career Achievement, has made a career out of doing the right thing. This inspiring article from Government Executive Magazine describes two key events that defined Amb. Bushnell as a great leader. The first was her courageous--and rather solitary--effort to stop the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Second was her leadership as U.S. Ambassador to Nairobi, which was crucial to holding together the Embassy staff in the aftermath of the 1998 bombing by Al Qaeda.

The Power of Frontline Workers in Transforming Government PDF

GovLeaders.org was developed on the premise that government is much more effective when managers create an environment in which front-line employees are fully engaged in the process of continuous improvement. This excellent report by the IBM Endowment for the Business of Government is a textbook case of how this can work. It describes how front-line employees of the Upstate New York Veterans Healthcare Network took ownership of their jobs and significantly expanded and improved their services despite significant staffing cuts. For a veritable gold mine of reports on good government, check out the "Endowment Publications" section on the web site of the IBM Endowment for the Business of Government.

What We've Learned About Policing

Fascinating article from the City Journal about how Police Commissioner William Bratton transformed the NYPD in the mid-1990s. Using innovative management practices and superb data mining techniques, Bratton improved morale and got the police to focus on crime prevention instead of arrest rates. The results were staggering; homicides dropped 68 percent and overall felonies dropped by half. For an even better analysis of Bratton's leadership and management, see the article Tipping Point Leadership" in the April 2003 issue of the Harvard Business Review.

Grassroots Leadership

An inspirational FastCompany article about D. Michael Abrashoff, the former Captain of the USS Benfold, who turned the navy's 200 year-old management style on its head while transforming his ship into the best ship in the Pacific Fleet. This article should be required reading for all government managers. For additional information on Abrashoff and more great success stories, see his web site, www.grassrootsleadership.com.

How to Lead Now

How do you motivate your employees and build loyalty when you don't have the ability to give big pay raises, bonuses or other financial incentives? This article from the August 2003 issue of FastCompany provides several case studies about managers who inspired their employees to do great things despite the lack of financial rewards. They did it by showing day in and day out that they care about their employees. Includes a number of very inspirational stories.

You CAN Manage Your Way Out

Excellent series of articles from the July 2002 issue of Government Executive Magazine discussing several managers who led dramatic turn-arounds in their organizations and made them great places to work. Make sure to click on the article's "Related Links" side-bar, as they are all part of the same cover story. For other articles of general interest to government managers, see Government Executive Magazine online.