4th February 2012 Saturday 
In his book, The Leadership Engine, Noel Tichy describes three essential stories that winning leaders tell: Who I Am stories, Who We Are stories, and Future Stories. When describing how to use stories to communicate change, Tichy offers four guidelines:
- Speak to valued aspects of the past
- Deal with new and complicating trends
- Define a winning future
- Appeal to morals, ethical codes, and examples
I was reminded of Tichy’s guidelines as I read this month’s Harvard Business Review. While I usually skim over the opening letter from the editor, this month I found myself clipping the letter for my files. Why? This month’s letter is from Adi Igantius, HBR’s new editor in chief. And Ignatius’ letter was a stellar example of Tichy’s points in action.
Igantius acknowledged and appreciated the past:
“. . . for more than 80 years (HBR) has been the source of great management ideas . . .”
He addressed the news and trends that make change necessary:
“My hope is to marry HBR’s timeless quality with a renewed focus on what’s timely. . . At this particular moment it’s critical . . . The global financial meltdown cries out for the kind of informed analysis that HBR can offer. . .”
He described a winning future:
“Here are my hopes for HBR: I want the magazine to facilitate the discussions that companies, financial institutions, and managers have as they reinvent themselves . . . “
And he used examples:
“As we’re doing every month, we focus in this issue on new challenges that the economic crisis has spawned.”
To read, Igantius’ letter in its entirety click here. Great to see a leader practicing what we preach.
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