How to inspire and motivate people
A couple weeks ago, my friend’s five year old daughter decided she had some important messages to share.
With help from her mom, she created some posters and went around hanging them up on telephone poles in the neighborhood.
As you can see, her posters included important messages such as “Don’t pollute”, “Save the rainforest”, “Save the land”, and my personal favourite, “Don’t hunt tigers.”
(I did something similar at her age. But first, conscientious citizen that I was, I called the local police station to find out whether it was legal to hang posters on public property or not. I guess they let me do it. 😅)
It would be easy to dismiss this earnest endeavor from a five year old as cute, and it is. But I think it’s more than that. To me, it speaks to the deeply human desire to positively influence and inspire others.
When you have an idea or message that you care about, you naturally want to share it with other people. This inclination is a beautiful human phenomenon. It’s fundamental to cultivating a feeling of purpose and meaning in our lives, to building relationships and connections between us, and to feeling seen and understood. Above all, it’s how we make things better in the world.
(On the other side of the coin, this has a problematic side as well when the impulse to spread the word is taken up by those with bigoted or hurtful ideas. But of course, in the face of bigotry, we also have the choice to stand up and speak up for what is right.)
If you have a message, an idea, or even your own slightly nuanced take on things that you think could make some corner of the world a little better, storytelling is your gateway to making something meaningful with it. That’s true whether you’re giving a speech to thousands of people, or just putting up a flyer with a positive message in your neighborhood. And it's true whether you’re leading a mission-driven organization, or you just want to help people on your team or in your community feel inspired to do things a little better.
Storytelling is at the heart of inspiring, motivating, and leading others somewhere new. As my latest podcast guest told me, leadership isn’t a position or a job, it’s a choice. And if that’s a choice you want to make, storytelling is imperative.
Speaking of which, if you want to inspire or motivate people — especially if you are the founder / leader of a mission-driven organization, or a community organizer — I highly recommend checking out my latest episode featuring Sandy Dang.
Sandy Dang is a social entrepreneur, leadership trainer, community organizer, and management consultant. She is the Co-founder and Principal of Co-lnnovate Consulting, a company that provides leadership training, capacity building, and strategic planning to companies, foundations, and nonprofits.
Born in Hanoi, Sandy left Vietnam when she was ten years old. After living in rural China and Hong Kong refugee camps, Sandy resettled in the United States at the age of thirteen.
Sandy went from a childhood without books and very limited education, to being the only kid who didn’t speak English in her school, to becoming an internationally recognized speaker, leader, educator, and master storyteller. Most of all, Sandy has used her experiences and stories to empower others.
For more than a decade, she served as Founder and Executive Director of Asian American Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (AALED) an organization that supports refugee families through a broad array of educational and social services. Sandy was also appointed by President Obama to serve as Executive Director of the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF).
These days, Sandy teaches leaders — especially community organizers, and founders of mission-driven organizations — how to use storytelling to enhance their leadership capacity, and inspire and motivate others. She serves people all over the world, and works in both the US and Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand.
In this episode, you’ll hear Sandy’s inspiring story, and gain all kinds of useful intel about powerful, purposeful storytelling. Themes we explore:
➡️ Storytelling as a survival tool: Sandy details how she used storytelling to get support, gather resources, build community, and navigate life in the US (even when she was just learning to speak English)
➡️ Using your story to help others: Sandy shares how she used her story to build her non-profit, going from $15,000 to over $1.7 million dollars in its annual budget
➡️ The truth: Why the heart of storytelling is truth-telling, and how honesty and authenticity are essential to build connection, community, and support
➡️ The healing power of storytelling: Why telling your story might be one of the most healing and important things you can do for yourself, and for others
➡️ The power of public narrative: How to translate your lived experience into a story that demonstrates your values and makes people feel inspired and motivated to join your cause
➡️ Taking control of your own story: Why leaders need to share stories about themselves; how to use your story to build trust; and the problem with letting other people decide your story for you
➡️ The three stories all leaders must have in their arsenal — plus, Sandy’s process for putting the stories together into a cohesive narrative.
➡️ “This will only work in the US, not here”: How to adapt the concepts of personal storytelling for a more community-oriented mindset, and how to work around concerns about humility and bragging
➡️ Tips for trainers, coaches, facilitators, and leaders: Sandy distills her advice into her #1 takeaway.
Practical advice, heartfelt insight, and an inspiring and uplifting story…this episode has it all.
Listen at: my website, Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Meanwhile, keep finding ways to tell your story. The opportunities are truly endless. Don’t wait to share not just what is in your head, but in your heart.