I have just been reading the book Extraordinary Minds by Howard Gardner. Its a fascinating book in which he presents four types of extraordinary minds that he calls Master, Maker, Introspector, and Influencer. He then provides an example for each Mozart, Freud, Woolf, and Gandhi respectively.
The chapter on Gandhi I found of most interest. In particular Gandhi's use of Storytelling to bring about peaceful change in India.
He classifies Gandhi as an "Influencer and here is a little of what he has to say:
"In contrast, the Influencer -- the architect of the leading story -- must ever be in contact with human beings, trying out the story, making adjustment, monitoring their reactions, and repeating the cycle indefinitely. The story must be sufficiently novel to generate interest, yet not so original as to defy credibility. And if they want the story to have lasting impact, Influencers must create or take over an organization that will help the new story remain alive in the psyches of their followers."
But he also says a lot more about Gandhi and storytelling ... a powerful example of storytelling at work and its ability to bring about change.
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David Gurteen
Giving a talk at the Graduate School of Bangkok University, January 2008.
I help people to share their knowledge; to learn from each other; to innovate and to work together effectively to make a difference!
