What is Operational Storytelling?

Humans are wired for story. It surrounds us. It's how we make sense of the world, find our way, and understand ourselves. When we use the power of story to influence others, build teams, and achieve tangible results, that's Operational Storytelling.

My name is Erik Schmidt, and I've used the power of story to build and manage websites, lead software development teams, run innovation projects, and spearhead transformation for organizations like Apple, AT&T, Cast & Crew, Cisco, DARPA, First American Title, and JSTOR, among others.

Regardless of the size and scope of the project, regardless of the team or the company, regardless of the mission, Operational Storytelling has proven itself time and again as the foundation for success. Even so, I'm often surprised at how little attention is usually paid to the power of story in the business world, especially now.

Almost every business is grappling with profound and unpredictable technological, social, and political change. We need to leverage the power of story to keep ourselves and our companies from getting lost. That's exactly what this site is about — exposing and sharing the effective Operational Storytelling techniques that can help you and your organization stay on the right path.

Welcome aboard!

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