Great Storytellers, Great Leaders

Recently I had the pleasure to join an outstanding group at the home of my good friend Peter Guber, one of Hollywood’s greatest moguls, most innovative thinkers, and finest storytellers. In the room were Oscar winners, top business execs, and even one of America’s top engineers, all united by their ability to tell great stories.

The guest list: Scott Adelson, Senior Managing Director at national investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey; Ron Bass, the Oscar-winning writer of Rain Man; Colin Callendar, President of HBO Films; Chad Hodge, one of the CW network’s hottest young writing talents, and a former intern of mine when he was just a kid at Northwestern University; Chris Ludeman, President of CB Richard Ellis and Americas Brokerage; Gentry Lee, Chief Engineer of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the folks who, among other front-page news, discovered water on Mars; and Teri Schwartz, Dean of Loyola Marymount’s film school. I moderated the discussion.

The drive to Peter’s 17-acre estate took me up a winding, jasmine-scented road in the Bel Air hills. I was buzzed in through majestic wooden doors that opened upon someone’s remote command, then drove past a couple of auxiliary cottages to the main house, built into a mountain. Inside, a palatial vaulted living area borders on a wraparound terrace that looks down over the blinking lights of Los Angeles.

Point is, whatever it is “success” requires, Peter has it!

As it happens, Peter’s going to write an article for Harvard Business Review on how great storytelling has contributed to his success, and can do the same for others. This goes for anybody – CEO, politician, or PTA president. Put simply, if you want to transform yourself from humdrum boss into the Braveheart of your company, you need to be able to tell a grade-A, edge-of-your-seat story.

In the warm, convivial setting of Peter’s living room, we tried to find, as Peter put it, “The DNA of great storytelling.”

Here are a few highlights – for more, sign up for my free Tip of the Week; we’ll be sending out a sneak peak of his article.

A great storyteller is:

• Well-trained is his craft. Technique is a definite prerequisite.
• Authentic. It’s clear he believes 110% in his message.
• Passionate. He doesn’t just believe it, it moves him.
• True to core values.
• On a hero’s journey – and able to take his audience with him.

Everyone around the table spoke articulately and compellingly, each with the wealth of his individual perspective. But as the evening unrolled, we all agreed that Gentry Lee, JPL’s chief engineer, had an extra-special gift as a storyteller. (Seriously, I wanted to know if he was available to book for parties and Bar Mitzvahs, but I guess running one of the nation’s top scientific labs keeps him pretty busy.)

Dressed in plaid and a baseball cap, Gentry riveted us every time he opened his mouth, whether to discuss the online game World of Warcraft or his use of storytelling to capture the media’s imagination.

But in talking about his family at one point, Gentry got right to the core of what makes a good storyteller: Creating an experience in images that evokes an emotional response.

“One of my sons wants to be a surgeon. You know why?,” Gentry asked us. “Because the TV show Grey’s Anatomy hooked his heart. His brain came later.”

To hear more about this incredible evening, sign up for my Tip of the Week.