Progress depends on people having a shared sense of purpose.

We can avoid a situation like the one Bob found himself in by asking five key questions: What’s my firm conviction or belief? What do I want the person or people I’m communicating with to know? What do they believe? What do they need to know? What are they ready to hear at this particular time?

why vacuum cleaner manufacturers were not immediately persuaded by Dyson’s innovative technology. The entire discussion fell apart at the first stage because the manufacturers didn’t acknowledge there was a problem.

Now, instead of investing time to understand customers’ unmet needs and unspoken desires as successful companies had been doing for generations, we began to monitor their online behaviour, looking for patterns and vulnerabilities, gathering data to leverage later—sometimes to serve or oftentimes to exploit the user. Virality became top of mind.

Whether our ideas, innovations, communities and societies survive and thrive is still dependent on our ability to unite and work towards shared goals. Equality, justice, fairness, sustainability, creativity, innovation and our collective prosperity rely on us trusting enough to come together.

Our mistake lies in trying to get the customer to make the leap from attention to action, from brand awareness to ‘buy now’, without nurturing them through the steps that help them to feel like they’re making an informed decision.

To begin with, know where your audience spends time.

How we lead, changes how people respond and what happens next. Culture is altered when someone shows up with conviction, bringing their unique abilities, pointing to a way forward and inviting people to embark on that journey with them.

As you look at the Story Compass, you will see that the audience—the who, your number one driver is at its centre. The four other key Story Drivers correspond with the four parts of the Change Journey: attention, connection, persuasion and action.