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There are two parts to storytelling – you have to know the story and you have to know how to tell it. We often consider the process as a whole, but the two elements are distinct and separate.

There are many examples where this challenge plays out. I see people of all ages struggle with articulating their strengths – understanding what they even are, let alone communicating them in a resume or cover letter. Leaders are often aware of the accomplishments of their organization, but become challenged in making them concise and compelling in media or grants. Organizational leaders right now are wondering whether or not to put out a message about the social unrest – they have a vehicle to share a message, but are wrestling with what to say or what story they have to tell. Every day I have to dig deep to determine not only a message for a dot, but a lesson that has relevance to those reading it.

I think it makes our communication more effective if we treat the knowing and telling as two components instead of one. Begin with the story itself — raising your consciousness of what makes you or your organization different from others in a similar role, keeping track of anecdotes and figures that bring the story to life, and always being mindful of the environment and the messages that are currently relevant to your audience. Then you can focus on how to tell the story – relying on past experiences regarding the most effective media to reach your clients, drawing on lessons you’ve gleaned from other writing that struck a chord with you, and utilizing an established look/tone/voice to communicate your messages.

Think about what you’re best at – what you say or how you say it – and work to find others to help you enhance your weaker part. To be effective, you need to have both elements in synch.

Back in the day when I worked at a drug store, we had coding on the shelves that served as our inventory and ordering system. Two simple numbers helped keep the shelves stocked — OPOQ: Order Point Order Quantity. In other words, a 2/4 meant that when there were only two of those items remaining (order point) it was time to order 4 more (order quantity). It took the guesswork out of the process and allowed a high school student like myself to manage the ordering for the department because there were clear guidelines on when it was time to act.

I think that OPOQ can serve as a useful point of documentation for not only office supplies and pantry items but as a type of gauge to have conversations about comfort level with risk. Think of Order Point as Action Point – at what stage should action be triggered?

You and your manager (or partner) should agree on parameters by which action should be taken or when the other needs to be informed. You likely won’t quantify it with a simple two-digit number, but a shared understanding is very helpful of whether tolerance is low or high, whether you have the autonomy to act or need to check-in, and the level of communication that the other would like to receive. If one person is likely to observe a situation and let it play out before intervening (a high action point), and the other believes in course corrections as soon as a deviation is noted (a low action point) – it would be beneficial to know this and come to some agreement before being faced with a decision-warranting scenario. Similar discussions in advance about the amount of action that is required (action quantity) in hypothetical situations could also prove worthwhile instead of learning the information during real dramas as they are playing out.

What’s your personal OPOQ? Pay attention to your own behavior and see if you can develop an understanding of where you fall on the action/response spectrum to allow you to communicate those values to others.

P.S.  Happy 8^th Anniversary Leadership Dots!