043: Build Your Narrative. Change Your Life. | Guillaume Wiatr
Maybe you’ve heard the following David Foster Wallace parable that goes like this: There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What in the world is water?” We can all identify with these fish because like them we are also swimming around in our own water. That water is our narrative and it influences everything about who we are and what we do. Do you know what narratives are running your life right now? Are you ready to take responsibility for building a new one so you can create a better work and life future? My guest in this episode is Guillaume Wiatr who is an expert on helping entrepreneurs and businesses build strategic narratives that align their teams and help them innovate. But his work and model don’t just apply to these groups. There’s something very powerful here for you that’s going to help you change the water you’re swimming in! By the end of this episode you’ll learn: The difference between story and narrative and how they influence your life How when narratives change, worlds can change How to build a new strategic narrative to change your life and impact your world About my guest: Guillaume is the author of Strategic Narrative: A Simple Method That Business Leaders Can Use to Make Everyone Understand Their Business, Get Behind it and Believe In It. His company, MetaHelm, guides CEOs, founders, and business owners to align teams and accelerate innovation adoption. A former big-firm strategy consultant, Guillaume has founded four ventures. He is sought after by senior executives of companies like Alaska Airlines, the Gates Foundation, Generations For Peace, AIG, L’Oréal, Spencer Stuart, GAP, Google, Microsoft, and the US and French governments. After helping to save a 20M euros venture during the dot-com boom, Guillaume went on a mission to turn every company into a source of inspiration that few can resist. Guillaume teaches and mentors entrepreneurs at startup incubators, EMLyon international business school, and the University of Washington Master of Science in Entrepreneurship, ranked #3 in the US. Contact Guillaume: Website LinkedIn Twitter Youtube About: The Reframe to Create podcast is hosted by Joy Spencer, an Executive Leadership and Storytelling Coach, Speaker, and Organizational Development Consultant working with professionals and leaders at all levels within organizations. Joy leverages over 17 years of experience she gained while working to champion change in social justice movements, including those related to global access to essential medicines and consumer advocacy for online privacy. This work required a dogged commitment to not merely challenging the status quo, but to reimagining and working towards creating an ideal future. It is this commitment to creating that has shaped Joy’s coaching philosophy and approach today. Using her signature C.R.E.A.T.E. framework, Joy guides her clients through a process to become incomparable in work so they can get paid to be themselves. Follow Joy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-spencer/