Can a Story Make a King? The Power of Narrative

It’s been seven weeks since the final episode of Game of Thrones.

I have to admit, I wasn’t one of those people who waited with bated breath every week for the past eight years to watch the latest episode. But on the advice of a colleague, I sat down recently and dug in to the grand finale of the final season.

I learned that after almost a decade of bloodshed, nudity, death, scheming — more death — and fire-breathing dragons, the big reveal is that the winner of the Iron Throne is Brandon (Bran the Broken) Stark — all thanks to the power of storytelling.

Near the end of the final episode Tyrion Lannister delivers a stirring monologue arguing for Bran to be king:

“What unites people?” he asks the group of Westeros representatives gathered to decide his fate. “Armies? Gold? Flags? Stories. There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it.”

Tyrion’s argument to make Bran King was simple.

He reasoned that Bran held all of the stories of Westeros. He knew its people, their fears and joys, and times of war and peace. A gifted storyteller, Tyrion said, could unite every person in every kingdom and prevent them from repeating the bloody mistakes of their past.

That’s a powerful lesson. One that is true for organizations and businesses outside of Westeros too.

What is more powerful than a compelling narrative? Arguably — nothing.

Good stories are the foundation of finance, the power behind political parties, the cornerstone of the courts and the true measure of a great teacher. Stories are pivotal to success in any industry and vital to maintaining a society of laws, peace, order and good government. And as Tyrion said — they have the power to pull people together, and rally them around a single idea or vision.

If you think about it, each of our lives are a string of stories.

From birth to death, we craft the story of our own identities — a story where we are the protagonist and hero. And when we join the world of work, our working world becomes an important part of our story. One of the first questions a new acquaintance will ask is “what do you do?” And if the answer is interesting — if it is a good story — we have their full attention.

The same is true in business.

People want to know what you do, and why you do it. They want to know what makes you different from other companies, and why they should choose you over your competitors. That answer to those questions, invariably, is a good story.

What’s your story?

When it comes to your company or your organization, we can’t help you win the Iron Throne — but we can help you tell a great story that will get more attention, and earn more business.

Dragons not included.

Let us help you tell your story: lloyd@lloydrang.com