EP 58: Guillaume Wiatr: Building A Strategic NarrativeThe Key To Inspiring Buy-In

About Guillaume Wiatr: He is a strategy consultant and leadership coach who guides CEOs and founders to align people and accelerate the adoption of innovation. He is the founder of MetaHelm which is a consulting firm focused on building strategic narratives for established companies. For Guillaume, traditional business story-telling is dead, innovation happens when you build a new narrative instead. He says people will pay for a story but they will die for narrative. After helping save a 20 million euro venture during the dot-com boom, Guillaume went on a mission to turn every company into a source of inspiration that few can resist. Since then he's been working with start-up founders as well as senior executives of companies like Alaska Airlines, The Gates Foundation, AIG, Loreal, Spencer-Stuart, GAP, Google, Microsoft, the US and the French Government. His commitment to education led him to become an instructor and a mentor to young entrepreneurs at the University of Washington, The School of Visual Concepts and Emlyon International Business School in France. Guillaume publishes daily insights in his newsletter, The Next Narrative, where you can find a canvassy design to get you started in your strategic narrative. 

 

In this episode, Jordan and Guillaume discuss:

Narrative as an interpretation of reality The sum of invention and adoption Internal and external narrative  Dimensions of a narrative 

Key Takeaways

A strategic narrative must have a viewpoint or an interpretation of reality. A company stands out more when they have a distinct perspective or an opinion.  Innovation is the sum of invention and adoption. It needs a story that will take people from one narrative to the next.  The internal narrative is your belief system, values, and the way you operate while external is how you are perceived and what impact you create. Both are essential in creating a cohesive strategic narrative.  Establish your origin story and opportunity story. Align people to your perspective - your values and culture, and remember to put less focus on what the product does and more on why people should get it. 

“A story is something that happened in the past - it has a beginning, a middle and an end. A narrative is more future-oriented. It has a beginning, a middle, but no end…” —  Guillaume Waitr

Get Guillaumi’s Free E-Book: www.strategicnarrative.com

 

Get Guillaumi’s Daily E-Mails: https://www.metahelm.com/the-next-narrative/

 

The Strategic Narrative Workshop - https://www.metahelm.com/workshop/

 

Get the complimentary guide: How To Select An Executive Coach at www.selectcoach.workplacewarrior.com 

 

Get the Am I Abrasive Self Test at abrasive.workplacewarrior.com 

 

Connect with Guillaume Wiatr:  

Website: https://www.metahelm.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaumewiatr/ 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GuillaumeWiatr 

Connect with Jordan: 

Website: www.workplacewarriorinc.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordangoldrich1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordan.goldrich

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordangoldrich/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgoldrich/