The Narrative Age: How leaders can inspire change in a polarized world
Great visions do not need a purpose.
Frank Wolf • The Narrative Age: How leaders can inspire change in a polarized world
The SpaceX vision makes us care because we are all aware of the beginning of the story: Humans have never set foot on another planet. We landed on the moon a couple of times, but that was decades ago, and to really begin to conquer our solar system, we need to go to another planet.
Frank Wolf • The Narrative Age: How leaders can inspire change in a polarized world
In 2019, 181 CEOs of America’s largest corporations — united in an organization called Business Roundtable — adopted a new statement on the purpose of corporations. They declared that companies should not only serve their shareholders but also deliver value to their customers, invest in employees, deal fairly with suppliers, and support the
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They can either be widespread such as emerging narratives
Frank Wolf • The Narrative Age: How leaders can inspire change in a polarized world
Overall, SpaceX achieves a significantly better fit to the master narrative landscape. Both companies have been founded by iconic entrepreneurs,
Frank Wolf • The Narrative Age: How leaders can inspire change in a polarized world
A bad story has a single, defining characteristic. We don’t care. Even the flashiest of colors, the biggest of budgets, or the cutest of puppies can’t make us care. They might get our attention, but they can’t make us invest emotionally. They can’t influence and transform.
Frank Wolf • The Narrative Age: How leaders can inspire change in a polarized world
In modern management theory, improvisation is no longer seen as a malfunction of planning but is a suitable means of remaining operational under complex and dynamic conditions.4 In music, the ability to improvise is a sign of great mastery and command of one’s craft, and the same applies to many other areas of life, including communications and
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Compare that to the Blue Origin vision: what is the beginning of the story here? Is space travel being used for the first time for the benefit of Earth?
Frank Wolf • The Narrative Age: How leaders can inspire change in a polarized world
and stories that connect to the powerful and deeply rooted master narratives of exploration, redemption, and survival as a species.