Squirrel Inc.: A Fable of Leadership through Storytelling
The fable has been a durable vehicle for imparting wisdom since ancient times, and in this tale about a former high-flying enterprise that’s fallen on hard times-and just happens to be managed by squirrels-the form is deftly deployed by author Denning (The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations). The former World Bank executive turned consultant, whose client list includes General Electric, McDonald’s and the U.S. Army, uses his extended parable not only to make this volume more lively than most business books, but also to emphasize his main point: that storytelling is a crucial tool for surmounting the challenges facing leaders today. "The ability to tell the right story at the right time is emerging as an essential leadership skill for coping with, and getting business results in, the turbulent world of the 21st century," he writes. Like many real companies, Denning’s Squirrel Inc. must deal with a technological change in order to survive. In this case, the company must transform itself from a nut-burying firm to a nut-storing firm. The main squirrel in the apologue is Diana, a company exec who learns the basics of creating stories from a bartender at the local nectar tavern. Although written in a narrative form, Denning’s book provides plenty of "pull-out" nuggets for quick reference as well as concise summaries at the end of each chapter. This book may not turn skeptics into believers, but it should ignite the intellectual curiosity of all who would like to learn more about the power of telling stories in the boardroom.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.