THE STORY HABIT with Jamie Dixon

No tribal chief has ever used excel spreadsheets, charts with projections or a PowerPoint presentation to convince their group to change the way they behave. Since the dawn of humanity, the most powerful influencing tools we had at our disposal were the stories we told. Stories bridge the gap between the past and the future, create shared identities, provide us with meaning and allow us to lead others and shape the culture within our communities. 

But are stories really that effective in the context of a modern business? Can they shape a company culture? And what are the key ingredients of a story that has the power to change people’s minds and beliefs and move them to action? 

We address these and other topics with Jamie Dixon, the author of the upcoming book, The Story Habit in this new episode of the CultureLab podcast.

Episode highlights

• Stories as the language of the mind – how our brains turn seemingly random data into meaningful narratives that shape our understanding, beliefs and behaviors.
• How does storytelling drive change and progress?
• Three steps to shaping effective stories: Relate, Challenge, and Resolve.
• Examples of how the most spectacular social movements have been fueled by effective storytelling – from Me Too to Black Lives Matter.
• The importance of creating congruence between our cultural narratives at work and people’s lived experiences.

Listen to the interview in the player below or on iTunes. If you like what you hear, please leave a review, and it may be featured on a future episode.

More about Jamie Dixon

Jamie is the author of 3 books 

• The Story Habit – (coming soon!)
• Overcome and Get it Done!
• Shaping Paths, How to Design and Deliver PRACTICAL Training

He is currently based in Shanghai.

Having spent over 15 years living in China, Chinese culture has had a profound impact on Jamie’s thinking. Chinese pragmatism, practicality, and philosophy have shaped the way he designs, coaches, and facilitates.

The famous quote “It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice” sums up Chinese pragmatism; prioritizing action over ideology. He applies this pragmatism to his work, focusing on what actions people need to take to get results.

​​Books Mentioned in this Episode

The Story Habit by Jamie Dixon

The science of storytelling by William store

The hero’s journey by Joseph Campbell

Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin

The web of meaning  by Jeremy Lent

Additional Resources

The millennial question by Simon Sinek 

The iPhone launch presentation of 2007  by Steve Jobs

Alyssa Milano’s Twitter post in 2017

CultureBrained® Community – a one-of-a-kind virtual community for Heads of Culture, founders, and leaders who want to up their culture game.

The Culture Playbook Guide

Discover Your Personal Values