Storytelling: Gist, Feeling, Message. Do you have what it takes?
What does great storytelling mean? Can anyone do it?
Our stories — conveyed with meaning and passion — have the power to convince anyone that you are capable of great things. When you meet someone, your stories define how people perceive you and remember you.
As a writer, I get to meet thousands of founders a year. But the ones I remember are those who can share a story that hits me because they’re the folks I want to listen to. Months ago, someone tweeted at me asking if I wanted to give a short talk. I looked him up and funny enough, he saw my posts on Medium and reach out. Ever since then, I’ve had the chance to meet the hidden side of an entrepreneur who left his full time job and moved to a new and rural city for love, and fought fiercely against obstacles.
When we first met, he asked me: “What does good storytelling mean?”
I didn’t have an exact answer to be honest. My definition of good storytelling had changed over time. A year ago, I learned from serial investor Chris Sacca that founders who can sell themselves and their products to customers and investors are often times the most successful ones. But what does their story entail? Lennon’s story and team — devAcademy — reminded me how a powerful storyteller can impact a whole company.
A new opportunity blossomed for Lennon Shimokawa’s wife and with a settled life in Lima, Peru, they both debated if this was an opportunity they should take. Lennon leaned in, packed his belongings, and supported his wife’s journey, leaving behind a well-paid job and decades of memories in Lima.
Upon the arrival, things weren’t easy. The new city came with a lot of surprises — constant power outages and low internet bandwidth. From all things, Lennon decided to build a company — devAcademy, which is now Peru’s leading software outsourcing company. But I am here not to write about what they went through on this piece. You can read more here. Instead, I found it amazing how each person on the team spoke so highly about him.
Most of them recounted his massive passion for bringing people together as well as his unparallel influence on their own professional and personal lives. I sensed that most of them saw him as a true friend. His way of communicating transmitted not only passion and intelligence, but they all felt understood. He knew how each felt even though he didn’t have the answers all the time.
When I asked them why they joined devAcademy, the answer was uniform and similar
— “Lennon is smart and gave me an opportunity of a lifetime. I wouldn’t have seen myself in this position if he hadn’t invested time in me. He is transparent and makes decisions that you know will make things better.”
With all the problems you can come up by building a company in a city that has never heard of Slack, Uber, or even Google Docs, he could spin into a feeling of hopelessness. But this is not really who Lennon Shimokawa is.
He’s not the type of person who sits at home complaining about injustice. He is the type of person who left his job, moving to a new and rural city for love, and fought fiercely against obstacles. He is the type of person who would prioritize his employees’ happiness over making millions of dollars. He is the type of person who would give someone motivated an opportunity to prove themselves. He is the type of person who recognizes the power of transparency and tells the world what his company is going through whether it’s good and bad.
And he is just one person in this team. Imagine what they all can do together.
People remember the gist, message, and the feeling of what you say. In our interactions, stories create new opportunities to empathy and memorability. In startups and business, this rule applies too. Invest time in finding your voice and what your story means for your business because a lot of hustle and money won’t take you far. A great story will.
This story was written by Silvia Li Sam.
