The Narrative Project: Discovering the Keystones of Identity + Expression
The work to which you devote the days of your life is a story in the act of being written. You can become a bolder, more effective author of that story by exercising a more purposeful design approach to shaping your own narrative, and that of the team or tribe to which you belong.
Using a framework inspired by the fundamentals of classical rhetoric, and adapted for a contemporary setting, The Narrative Project spans five dimensions, giving teams a means to inquire of themselves who they really are, and who they want to be. The answers to these questions are both individual and collective, and they determine the quality and impact of our work.
In Logos, we capture the sense we have of our core competency, our unique value, our claim to the marketplace — this is where we plant our feet before we leap, and the ground on which we build our identities.
In Ethos, we express our uncompromising positions, name our immovable convictions, and boldly announce our unwavering commitments — these provide way-finding for our decisions and create a drumbeat for our footsteps and our culture.
In Pathos, we deepen our awareness of the white-hot flame at the core of our commitment, sparking the fuel of human purpose, inviting the humans around us to do the same, creating an emotional flywheel of motivation.
In Mythos, we locate ourselves, embracing the truth that our story is not entirely our own, but a blend of the narrative we make and the narrative we find ourselves in.
In Kairos, we give shape and color to the “fierce urgency of now,” determine next best actions, informed by the answers we fashioned: what we do best, what we stand for, why we care, and what story we’re living. Our hands go to work when our heads and hearts are aligned – when we force the moment to its crisis.
By co-creating the anchor elements of their core identity and norms, their strategic direction and shared goals, their stakeholder positioning, and more, teams prepare to accelerate faster toward bolder targets -- and build stronger, healthier dynamics as they run.
