Your Narrative

Do you have a personal narrative? A career and professional narrative?

It’s interesting that it’s again been a topic of conversation in the professional coaching arena as important for both seasoned professionals and ones that are just getting started.

This is not surprising. In recent years, much has been written about the importance of career narratives for mid-career and senior professionals, particularly those making a career transition.

But, we’d argue, they’re even more important for younger professionals who don’t yet have a multipage CV or a high-powered headhunter in their corner.

Harvard Business suggests that there are three ways in which you can increase the potency of your narrative:

1. Easy to remember and retell.
2. Link past successes with short and long-term developmental needs. I would add goals as well.
3. A fluid combination of humility, honesty, and personal flavor.

I would add one more thing here too: That you believe it to be true.

So many of us have incredible narratives built by other people, our mentors, our spouses, our co-workers, our parents, or even our children.

But there comes a time when you need to own it for yourself which may end up being distinctly different than what you’ve been promoted as in the past.

We all have unique stories to tell because because you and I are the only you and I the only me to ever walk the face of the earth. You would think, then, that crafting a compelling narrative would be simple, straight-forward, and easy.

It’s not because not all of us are great storytellers, yet. The greatest stories ever told are only great because we know about them from master storytellers.