Essential Reading

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People often ask, what is the essential reading list when it comes to this strategic storytelling stuff? To simplify matters, I have put together my list of favorites, along with a quick synopsis of what you’ll find inside each book’s pages. Some of the featured authors have several books on the topic, but I have chosen to feature just my favorite of the bunch.

Are you looking for a sub-topic or focus not featured in the list? Don’t be afraid to email me - askmick@thirsty-fish.com. Naturally, there are many more books related to strategic storytelling than I have the space to profile here. My list below is completely editorial, and simply what I believe are great places for a beginner-moderate audience to start. Have a new book for me to review? I will gladly do so. Send it here.

  • Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results
    Jossey-Bass

    This leading compendium on strategic storytelling spotlights more than 80 major organizations around the world using narratives as part of their strategic management vocabulary. Michael Margolis of THIRSTY-FISH is a contributing author to this book, having written a chapter on “Story in Difficult Times”, featuring lessons learned from senior leaders at CityYear, OneVillage Foundation, NASA, New Zealand Telecom, and Saatchi & Saatchi.

     
  • Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy
    by Martin Lindstrom

    Martin Lindstrom, author of numerous books (including “BrandSense”) blends neuroscience and pop marketing in his latest book “Buy-o-logy”. Grounded in neuroscience and a four-year brain scan study that Lindsrom commissioned, he discusses what our brains tell us about our relationship to brands. No surprise here - our relationship to brands is deeply rooted in the story. Among his cognitive insights, he explains that certain brands have an equal weight to us as religion! Another highlight: Cigarette warning labels actually encourage smokers to smoke more. This book is filled with provocative insights towards the brand storytelling process.

     
  • Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are
    by Rob Walker

    Rob Walker takes us on a pop anthropology journal into the profound relationship between brands and identity. As the NY Times Magazine “Consumed” columnist for several years, Walker has mined the fringes and mainstream of our culture to highlight the complex web and personal narratives that we weave in relationship to brands. Filled with interesting examples and memorable stories, you will never think about cultural trends same way again.

     
  • Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
    by Chip Heath, Dan Heath

    This seminal 2006 book by the Heath brothers takes off where Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and Blink finished. In this breeze of a read, you’ll learn through a range of anecdotes, examples, and research studies why some ideas are stickier than others.

     
  • The Lovemarks Effect: Winning in the Consumer Revolution
    by Kevin Roberts

    The second book in a powerful series written by the Worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. One of my personal business heroes, Kevin Roberts articulates a powerful vision and frameworks for thinking about the future beyond brands - and the difference between the brands we love versus the brands we respect. In this edition which reads like an inspired coffee-table book, Roberts interviews dozens of C-level execs from the world’s greatest brands, and has them opine on their brand as a lovemark. Highly thought-provoking!!!

     
  • Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting
    by Robert Mckee

    Considered the Bible of Hollywood Screenwriters, this book reads like gospel - breaking down the precise principles and anatomy of a good story, highlighted through lessons of the silver screen. If you are looking to hone your narrative chops, this is an essential read.

     
  • Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate With Power and Impact
    by Annette Simmons

    A recent follow-up to Simmons’ acclaimed The Story Factor, this book articulates several essential story forms and personal stories that every business leader should learn how to tell for themselves. If you are looking to uncover the hidden story gems from your life, this is a great place to start.

     
  • Storytelling: Branding in Practice
    by Klaus Fog, Christian Budtz, Baris Yakaboylu

    Written by the Scandinavian consulting firm SIGMA, this book offers some useful frameworks and dozens of examples related to brand storytelling. Their Brand Hero framework is one concept that I use with clients often.

     
  • Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences (VOICES)
    by Steve Diller, Nathan Shedroff, Darrel Rhea

    Published by the market research and innovation firm Cheskin, this book describes a typology of fifteen universal forms of meaningful experiences, and then shows examples of how each type shows up across the spectrum of consumer experiences. If you are looking to develop a customer experience model for your organization, this is a must read!

     
  • Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant
    by W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne

    This business school classic and best seller from 2005 is a worthy read. Its concept is simple. Don’t try to compete in an existing market - instead create uncontested market space. In other words, think like a market-maker and figure out where the latent needs and opportunities exist, even in the most cluttered and established industries.

     
  • The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business
    by Robert Dickman, Richard Maxwell

    This recent release by two Hollywood insiders - an accomplished screenwriter and a Zen Buddhist acting coach - is a great addition to the relm of organizational storytelling. The book builds off of Dickman’s Five element approach to storytelling: using the elements of fire, air, water, earth, and ether to serve as universal metaphors in the design of powerful stories. This is not a new age book, but rather speaks to the human condition, and is written with the reader’s solid business goals in mind.

     
  • The Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action Through Narrative
    by Stephen Denning

    The latest from organizational storytelling pioneer Denning is due to be released in October. The former head of knowledge management at the World Bank, continues to expand on his thinking and writings with a well-rounded book on the role of narrative in the leadership process. Denning is probably already on your bookshelf with his past books: the Springboard, Squirrel Inc., and the Leaders Guide to Storytelling.

     
  • Tell Me a Story: Narrative and Intelligence (Rethinking Theory)
    by Roger Schank

    Originally published more than 10 years ago, this classic by Schank is rooted in organizational learning and cognitive psychology. This social science take on the power of storytelling is often referenced as a pioneering work in the field of organizational development.

     
  • Primal Branding: Create Zealots for Your Brand, Your Company, and Your Future
    by Patrick Hanlon

    Hanlon, a former advertising executive turns to anthropology for his anatomy of what makes a iconic, cultural brand. His recommendations include: craft a founding story, develop a clear ethos, invent your own language, and create rituals that bring your brand story to life. The book is inspiring, especially to anyone who revels in the many brands of popular culture.