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
At first, it felt like a homecoming.
It was 1989. Sony had just purchased Columbia Picture and hired Peter Guber as CEO. Earlier in his career, Peter had served as Motion Picture Chief of Columbia.
The honeymoon was brief, Peter writes, in his excellent book “Tell to Win“ on the power of storytelling. This week we are looking at the raw material we can use to tell stories to … continue reading
“Hello, Peter, this is Bill.”
Presidential candidate Bill Clinton was calling Peter Guber, CEO of Sony Pictures.
It was early 1992. Bill was being pummeled in the media for allegations of sexual infidelity. He had just lost the New Hampshire primary. Not since 1952 had a candidate won the presidency without first winning New Hampshire.
Bill was desperate: he needed to raise $90,000 by the end of the day … continue reading
One day early in his career, Peter Guber, the young studio head at Columbia Pictures, was talking with Jack Warner, the legendary founder and chairman of Warner Bros.
During a lull in the conversation, Jack asked him casually, “How are things going for you at the studio?” He seemed genuinely interested, Peter writes in his wonderful book, Tell to Win.
He found himself venting: “It’s like a … continue reading
It was opening night. There was a line out the door of the restaurant as people clamored to get inside.
The famous restaurateur Wolfgang Puck had been in Atlanta all week, writes Peter Guber in his terrific book Tell to Win. Wolfgang wanted to make sure his staff were properly trained and understood the standard of excellence Wolfgang was famous for.
The results were impressive. The restaurant more than doubled … continue reading
One night, Hollywood mogul Peter Guber stopped by the Border Grill in Los Angeles.
What happened next surprised him.
First, he took a bite of his fish taco. “The taste blew me away,” he writes in Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story.
Then, his waiter noticed the look on his face and remarked, “You know, there is an adventure in that taco.”
This week … continue reading
Academy Award winning producer Peter Guber was convinced Jack Nicholson was perfect to play the Joker in the original Batman movie.
Peter had been working for eight years to bring the movie to the silver screen.
Eight years fraught with uncertainty.
Peter had hired Tim Burton as the movie’s director. Michael Keaton had been brought aboard to play Batman.
All they needed was a world-class villain.
Jack was their choice. … continue reading
It’s the early 1990s. Dr. Robert Maloney, UCLA professor of ophthalmology, had just done the first LASIK surgery in western North America as part of the original FDA clinical trials. The surgery was a success and Robert realized LASIK had the potential to improve the eye sight of millions of people.
But potential patients were worried.
It was a brand new procedure. So much could go wrong.
Robert’s credentials … continue reading
Imagine for a moment you are an NBA coach.Â
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
