Sometimes great insights come from the least expected sources.
Who would guess that a book about business marketing would help me to better understand and articulate what my role is in writing this blog and doing presentations?
Building a Story Brand
My friend Joe Moyer (who writes the excellent blog 24Letters) recently told me about a book by Donald Miller, Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. Although it’s a book about how companies can effectively market their business, I found it has much wider applications.
The marketing approach is based on the typical outline of a story: “A CHARACTER who wants something encounters a PROBLEM before they can get it. At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their lives, gives them a PLAN, and CALLS THEM TO ACTION. That action helps them avoid FAILURE and ends in a SUCCESS.” Building a Story Brand.
In the context of marketing, the customer is the hero. The customer has a goal he can’t reach because of a problem. The business is the Guide who helps the customer hero by giving the hero a plan (a product or service) and calling them to action. As a result, the hero avoids failure and gains success.
My Role as a Guide
I don’t have a business, so how does this concept apply to my voluntary work?
I now recognize that my role is not only a teacher or creator or writer or presenter but a Guide.
The people I want to help are the heroes. They have goals they can’t reach because of obstacles. I’m the Guide who helps them by giving them a plan and calls them to action. With my help, they avoid failure and gain success.
One Role to Rule Them All
Before encountering the concept of being a Guide, I’d envisioned my role as a combination of different functions. I’m a writer, a creator, a teacher, and a presenter. Yet no single function was broad enough to include all the other functions. So, who am I?
I’m a Guide on a mission to help others.
The concept of a Guide is how I now conceive of my overall role in my work, instead of just one aspect. A Guide can be a creator, a teacher, a presenter, an encourager, an equipper, or a consultant. All of these functions are, or can be, a part of being a Guide for others.
Examples of How I’m a Guide
I write a blog about productivity, living an intentional life, Apple gear, and how to use apps to improve your life. I do presentations on how to use technology to be more efficient and increase your abilities. How do these functions make me a Guide?
Here’s a few examples:
- Task management. People often have difficulty remembering what they need to get done when they need to do it. They try to carry everything around in their minds and suffer from memory overload. When I teach people in a presentation how to use a task manager effectively and walk them through the steps, I’m acting as a Guide. I’m providing them with a plan to overcome their obstacles, so they can succeed in getting their important things done.
- A roles-based system. People’s lives are busy, and it’s easy to forget to give appropriate attention to each of the many roles they have in life. Depending upon memory isn’t going to get the job done. By teaching people about a system to identify their life roles, write the best version of themselves for each role, and a weekly and quarterly review process, I’m acting as a Guide. I’m helping them to remove the obstacles to living intentional lives and bringing more balance to their lives.
- Tech gear to solve problems. Occasionally, I’ll do a presentation or write about tech hardware solutions to common issues, like home water leaks. When I do so, I’m functioning as a Guide, helping my hero readers or listeners to overcome a substantial difficulty by guiding them through the process of installing water sensors.
I’m Also A Hero in My Personal Story and I Need Guides
While I’ve determined that my role in working with others is that of a Guide, I’m also the hero of my life story.
I’m a hero on a mission to be a Guide for other people. As such, I don’t sit around and wait for things to happen. Instead, I make things happen by acting, like writing a blog and making presentations.
However, as a hero, I encounter obstacles that prevent me from reaching my objectives. I need the help of Guides to teach me what I need to know, encourage me, and support me in my role as Guide.
Summary
Donald Miller’s book “Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen” provides an outline of a story framework in which the customer is the hero, the business acts as a guide to provide the customer with a plan, and the customer avoids failure and succeeds in their goal.
Through this book, I’ve understood that my role is not just a teacher, creator, or presenter, but a guide. Being a Guide involves being a creator, teacher, presenter, encourager, equipper, and consultant – all working towards the goal of helping others be successful. I’ve applied this concept to my blog, talks, and projects, hoping to act as a Guide to help others overcome obstacles and reach their goals.
I’ve also identified myself as a hero in my own story, seeking Guides for help and support.
Regardless of the kind of work you do, I encourage you to read Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. See how this story concept applies to you and the people you work with. Doing so can transform your understanding of your role and how you relate to others.