Defining-moments of a business become the bedrock of corporate lore and help shape the culture, motivate employees, personify the vision, and attract loyal customers aligned with the values demonstrated by the story.

Think of the now-legendary stories of Nordstrom accepting returned auto tires (they have no automotive department), or Hewlett-Packard and their barn, and you’ve got the idea.

But what happens when your individual or organizational story is told so often it becomes rote, stale, and lifeless? What happens when you're telling an old story even as you, your organization, and the world around you have changed dramatically?

As stories age, their authenticity may wane, as might their potential for inspiring and connecting with the people within and outside of your organization. Sometimes the stories age well and have a timeless power; and sometimes they don't — to the detriment of the story, the perception of the organization, and the culture.

The same is true for individuals, particularly as so many aim to intentionally create more meaning and live into true purpose, and others step outside traditional organizations to become Solopreneurs or small-enterprise owners.

How can you assess the staying power of your stories, and discern whether they need refreshing or replacing?

Here are a few things that can indicate a need for a new story:

• If only one primary story tidily represents or defines your organization, or the organization is hanging on to a n-oft-repeated past story rather than moving forward into an energized, contemporary vision.

• If your story fosters an "us versus them" mentality, generates cynicism among some employees or other core community members, or alienates newcomers who weren’t around when the defining moment or action occurred.

• If the stories feature seemingly super-human efforts aligned with unique, one-time-only events that seem unobtainable or unrealistic in the day-to-day life of an organization, or deflate employees’ hopes of creating their own defining moment or even living up to the story in the real world.

• If the story which gets told and retold in your organization has long ago detached itself — and it's meaning —from contemporary organizational reality, and no longer connects with head, heart, and soul when told.

• If the story is really on a finite timeframe rather than a more timeless aspect of vision or value personified, or if the story stems from a time when 'battening the hatches' during economic storms or crises was necessary, and thus have become weights holding back progress, creativity, and momentum.

• If the story focuses on a former vision or direction, rather than expressing a new vision and direction.

Updating your organizational stories

Just as you would clean up your closet, or weed and prune your garden, cast a constructively critical eye at your organization's collection of stories and myths.

Try these tips to maintain your stories as meaningful tools to engage the genuine interest of those people who are important to your organization, and that help to authentically and effectively exemplify the organization’s vision or culture:

The full text of this article, including six tips for updating your organizational story, is available in our VIP Member content library.

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