Stories Only You Can Tell | Connect | Greenlights
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
Stories Only You Can Tell
I've been amazed by the response to my recent LinkedIn series: Only in a family business...
The stories are funny.
Sometimes ridiculous.
Sometimes painful.
Always honest.
All of them are always mine - stories only I can tell. Not because nobody else has experienced something similar, but because nobody else lived those moments from my perspective; aged five, standing on a box counting screws into bags, making my uncle redundant during a management buyout, watching a family member help themselves to armfuls of company stationery as if it were their own cupboard, being ignored by an uncle for months because of a conversation I wasn't even part of…
These stories are my experiences - my scars, my lessons. As I've shared them, something interesting has happened, people have connected. Some because they've lived similar experiences and some because they've worked with family businesses and recognised the dynamics. Others connected simply because they saw something human in the story.
It reminded me that storytelling is one of the oldest forms of human communication. Long before presentations, frameworks, books or social media, stories were how we shared knowledge, passed on wisdom, built trust and helped others avoid the mistakes we'd already made. While facts inform, stories connect and bring them to life.
A story allows someone to see themselves in your experience and transforms information into understanding. Often, the stories we hesitate to tell are the very stories that help others most.
We all carry stories only we can tell - the question is whether we're willing to share them.
ENERGY
Focusing on an emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Connect
Stories absolutely help us to connect to others - and connect to facts. The word is from the Latin connectere, meaning "to join together" or "to bind together".
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
Share Your ‘Only’
Share an "Only" story with someone. Something you've experienced that only you can tell. It doesn't need to be dramatic - just honest.
Notice what happens when you replace information with experience.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
‘What authentic stories have moved you most, and why?’
Think about a story that has stayed with you. What was it about that person's honesty, experience or perspective that made it memorable? What did it help you understand, feel or see differently?
This question will be added to the Community Space in the Leapers Club for you to share your thoughts.
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition, my gratitude or to be celebrated.
The Scars We Carry
I’m shouting out marks left by our experiences often become the map that helps others navigate their own journey. What we've lived through can become wisdom. You rarely see these scars, but they serve as a learning that can becoming guidance.
What we've overcome - when shared - can become a gift to someone who needs it today.
Live Leaps Virtual Event:
Balance is Not What You Think
Overview:
Most people are trying to fix “balance” by managing time. This session reframes balance as something deeper, across the different parts of your life. You’ll explore where you may be under or overcompensating, and what true balance actually looks like for you.
Who It’s For:
Anyone feeling stretched, stuck, or slightly off, even if things look fine on the surface.
When:
Wednesday, June 24th (12:00 PM - 01:00 PM BST)
Cost:
Free of charge
Click to register
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
This week’s little extra for you - from me.
This week’s gift for you is for the visual of Greenlights by a wonderful story teller: Matthew McConaughey.
The offer (below) is available to you for free (for 7 days) using the code: ALRIGHT when you check out. Access is via the link / button below.
Please note that if you miss the 7 day offer, we can not extend this for you. You can, however always access the download for a nominal charge.
The artwork featured in this section is all copyrighted and for private use only. If you wish to use these online, in blogs / features or in presentations etc - we are happy to discuss licences. Please get in touch. The downloads do not have watermarks.
If you’d like to discuss having your ideas, business or culture captured visually - you can also let me know via email.
Join The Leapers Club
A clear starting point for learning the GLAS Method and understanding the wider framework
A private community space
Dedicated chat areas for focused conversations
Curated non-fiction book recommendations
Themed 90 day self-led Sets with online and downloadable Playbooks
L.E.A.P.S spaces to share your Learn, Energy word, Action, Processing, and Shout Out
Specialist sector Sets for teachers, family businesses, leadership development, and professional advisers (with many more to follow)
Check in quizzes to deepen reflection
Live and recorded events
Practical visuals and tools you can use immediately
Once a member, you have life-time community access
New: Free Family Business Scorecard
A simple way to identify where balance exists, where pressure may be building, and where conversations may be needed across a family business.
Complete the quick scorecard and receive a personalised PDF report.
LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
