It’s no secret that work teams that are able to connect interpersonally and build positive relationships are more productive, more creative, and more satisfied. But not everyone knows how to build those positive connections in the workplace, especially in the current period of divisive politics and hot-button issues. Many people avoid sharing personal opinions and experiences because they are afraid of being judged or offending others.

Yet, Leadership Story Lab has seen again the positive impact that stories have across multiple business contexts to build these positive connections. Keeping storytelling alive and active skill requires continual practice. One way to master something is to teach or facilitate it.

Therefore, Leadership Story Lab is offering a new resource, Lit & Lead, to challenge their clients to hone their skills by creating space for their teams and colleagues to interact around stories that aren’t their own. The informal 1-hour event can be hosted during a brown-bag lunch or even during a team meeting.

Lit & Lead creates a low-stakes space to practice sharing new perspectives and leadership lessons. The resource guide provides clients with the tools to host a conversation about leadership through novels, short stories or other narrative forms.

With guided reflection questions about a story, each participant shares about a tough leadership dilemma one of the characters faces and what they, as a reader, learned from it. The group will leave with a list of reading recommendations, but more importantly with a chance to listen actively, share personally, and connect with their colleagues.

“It’s a chance to be seen, heard, and understood,” said Esther Choy, founder of Leadership Story Lab and the creator of the guide. “And create space to tell stories.” After publishing a popular Forbes.com article on novels that provide leadership lessons, Choy realized people were hungry for a chance to interact around stories that weren’t their own stories. And now with the new Lit & Lead guide, she’s created a tool to bring the power of story to workplaces.

About Leadership Story Lab

Leadership Story Lab is a women-led business storytelling consultancy, offering coaching, training, and certification in story facilitation. Their strategy T-Squared: (Transaction × Transformation) empowers leaders to meet goals, see differently, and create meaning through authentic communication and connection.