If your team feels overwhelmed or disconnected, the problem might be cultural, not operational.
I sit down with Alma Quiroga to unpack how we might bring impactful order out of chaos. And wow, this conversation is one that made me completely rethink how stories shape the way we lead.
Alma shares her journey of challenging traditional business norms and building people-first organizational cultures. We talk about the quiet power of storytelling, not just as a leadership skill, but as the foundation of how culture is created and how behavior is shaped from the inside out.
We explore what it means to recognize and work with the stories that already exist within your team, and how to create environments where people can thrive, not in spite of chaos, but through it.
If you’re a leader navigating change, culture shifts, or just craving more meaning in the way your organization operates, this one’s for you.
Key Takeaways:
Storytelling is deeply ingrained in human nature and is how we relate to each other.
Our brains are wired to make sense of the world through storytelling, and humans naturally order the chaos of the world and their own internal world in a story format.
Understanding how humans make sense through story is essential for effective communication and change management in organizations.
By recognizing the power of storytelling and creating spaces for collective storytelling, organizations can co-create their culture and navigate transitions more successfully.
Resources Mentioned:
Books:
Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins by Annette Simmons: https://amzn.to/4cqFq56
The Story Factor by Annette Simmons: https://amzn.to/4eGiwrQ
The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gotsschall https://amzn.to/3xrXCvT
Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar Schein: https://amzn.to/4bE0NPb
Humble Leadership, Second Edition: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust by Edgar Schein: https://amzn.to/3VMfWb0
Managing Transitions by: William Bridges & Susan Bridges https://amzn.to/3znNPaN
Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used by Peter Block: https://amzn.to/4cCf8MI
Podcasts:
Beautiful Questions Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@TuliandAlma
Work Life Podcast: https://adamgrant.net/podcasts/work-life/
Radio Ambulante: https://radioambulante.org/en
Invisibilia: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia
Connect with Alma:
Website: www.almaquiroga.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/almaquiroga/
More About Building Thinkers:
I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.
And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.
If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.
