Book Review: The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell by Paul Smith
It’s not often that I pick up a book and am instantly impressed by the book itself (before even reading the first page). The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell, from bestselling author Paul Smith, did just that for me. When you take this book in your hands you know you’re in for something unique. The embossed spot printing; thick pages; high-impact imagery; sewn binding. This is a book that makes a statement before you even read a word.
Now, all of that wouldn’t mean a thing if the content itself wasn’t valuable, but fortunately that is most definitely not the case. As the title clearly suggests, this book highlights the 10 types of stories told by great leaders. These include things like a founding story, a vision story, a strategy story, a customer story, a sales story, and five others. Each story explains why it’s important to have one of your own, an effective example, and tips to use in crafting your own story. Exactly what you need to understand it and begin crafting your own stories.
The best way I can describe this book is that it’s like a spark. It’s the catalyst for helping to bring these stories out of you. Even after 25 years in business, and owning my own company for 10 of those, I realized I don’t have all 10 of these down. In fact, not even close (which was humbling to say the least). Personally, I’ll be using this book as my spark to get my 10 stories down and I think if you give it a shot you’ll surprise yourself as well.
As an entrepreneur, business owner, leader, and salesperson, I always get value from Paul’s books and I’m happy to say this one is no exception.
