It’s 1985.  The Los Angeles Lakers have just won game five of the NBA Finals to take a 3-2 series lead against the uber-talented Philadelphia 76ers.  They are one win away from being World Champions.  

But their best player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, has sprained his ankle.  He’s out for the rest of the series.  

“So even though we’re ahead three to two,” Lakers … continue reading

Becoming a great storyteller is a key skill to succeed in business.    

And in life.

Storytelling is a skill we can get better at.  This week we are continuing our exploration of the central ideas of Hollywood mogul Peter Guber’s wonderful book Tell to Win about the power of storytelling.

Our area of focus?

The role of the hero in telling a great story.  

Business stories, Peter tells us, … continue reading

Imagine for a moment you are an NBA coach. 

Playing on your home court, your team has just won game five of the NBA championship.  You now lead the series 3-2.

You realize you will play the remainder of the series in the other team’s arena.  In front of the other team’s home fans.

Statistically, you know the team with home court advantage wins more than 75% of game sevens.… continue reading