Around The Corporate Campfire: "How Great Leaders Use Stories To Inspire Success" [Paperback]

Evelyn Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2004

A collection of stories about top U.S.-based companies that leverage the power of storytelling as a key leadership communication tool.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Evelyn Clark, The Corporate Storyteller, works with executives who want to become more effective leaders. She does this by showing them how to unleash the power of storytelling in their organizations. Her clients include Microsoft, World Vision, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and VeriSign. Evelyn delivers keynote addresses, conducts customized workshops, and facilitates retreats focused on the power of storytelling for leadership development, organizational effectiveness, increasing sales, and maximizing teamwork. A contributing writer to two other books on brand development and organizational storytelling, Evelyn began her career as a news editor for the Associated Press. She has been a featured presenter at a number of international and national conferences, including the National Storytelling Network, and is a faculty member of the International Storytelling Center.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: C&C Publishing (July 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932863044
• ISBN-13: 978-1932863048
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thousands of executives, top-flight sales leaders and savvy marketers have learned--with Evelyn Clark's help--how to identify, create and deliver messages that stick in audiences' minds. An author, workshop/retreat leader and keynoter, Evelyn applies the Corporate Storytelling® system to help clients address their most urgent needs, such as, winning stakeholder buy-in, galvanizing employee support, strengthening teamwork, fueling growth and increasing sales.

Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, Evelyn found her true home the first time she set foot in the Pacific Northwest. She lives in Sammamish, WA, where she occasionally straps on a pair of skis and throws herself down the sides of mountains. She more often enjoys making (and drinking) wine, hiking, traveling and entertaining. A news reporter and public relations counselor before launching her speaking practice in 1992, she works primarily with global and national leaders in the corporate and nonprofit worlds.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely book for those who want to communicate better, September 22, 2004

By 

Gary W. Bequette (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Around The Corporate Campfire: "How Great Leaders Use Stories To Inspire Success" (Paperback)

Storytelling in business is a subject that's been popping up in the business media, so this book is timely. Evelyn Clark makes a strong case for the importance of using stories if you're a leader who wants to get your point across. She demonstrates her point by telling stories about a lot of well-known companies and explaining how they use stories and why they believe in it. It's an easy book to read because each chapter is about a different company, so you can read just one at a time and come back to it several days or weeks later without losing the train of thought. The appendices include a checklist for evaluating your entire communication program and templates for developing your own stories so you can put the lessons to work. There's also data on several studies that confirm the value of storytelling in the workplace. I highly recommend Around the Corporate Campfire if you want other people to listen to you and remember what you said!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story Telling Paves the Road To Success, March 26, 2007

By 

M. J. Masnovi "M.J .Book Reivews" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Around The Corporate Campfire: "How Great Leaders Use Stories To Inspire Success" (Paperback)

I chose this book because it was interesting and published recently so I thought a lot of the ideas in it would be modern. Communication is a field that requires up to date books and ideas that evolve as quickly as technology. I liked the fact that this book involved story telling, which is a relatively timeless communication technique. I thought that the contrast between the modern time it was written and one of the oldest means of entertainment would make for an interesting read.

Another intriguing quality of this book that I liked prior to reading it was the fact that it involved real life companies. What better way to teach about effective story telling and leadership success than from company leaders that have mastered the skill?

The book is filled with stories from well known multimillion dollar companies such as Nike, Costco, Kodak, Mary Kay, Southwest Airlines, and Medtronic among others. It is fascinating to learn the way that these companies use stories to inspire employee unity, consumer loyalty, and advertising. It seems that a theme throughout the book is that, regardless of what your company sells, there is one pathway to success and it is lined with stories. The stories range from touching (in a chapter titled Medtronic: Dad I Saved a Life Today) to entertaining (Nike: A Global Competitor Running on Waffle Soles). No matter what your future leadership role may be this book will definitely help you reach your goal.

After reading this book I thought that it was well written and organized. Each company has its own chapter and within this chapter Evelyn Clark describes at least one success story about the company's owners, employees, CEOs, or customers. I particularly liked the ease of understanding. I thought that she communicated her points well and offered a lot of insight into how to successfully master the art of story telling. A lot of the ideas she has in the book are things that make so much sense I could not believe I had not thought of them myself. I am a student and I can attest to the fact that I often remember lecture material better if the professor had a personal story that related to it.

Overall, this book was both entertaining and educational. I recommend this book to anyone that is a leader, wants to become a leader, or is interesting in learning about leadership techniques. I never considered how much stories affect our every day life. Stories have been being told long before there was written word or the internet and show no sign of going out of style. It is essential to learn how to use this type of communication for future success and this book is an excellent place to start.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Inside Story of Successful Companies, May 14, 2005

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Around The Corporate Campfire: "How Great Leaders Use Stories To Inspire Success" (Paperback)

"Stories play a major therapeutic role in life. As earthly sojourners in the 21st century we experience the outer world in society, organizations and communities as paradoxical, rapidly changing, and becoming more globally inter-dependent. This out world many times is at variance with our own inner world. And this is the therapeutic power of storytelling." ~David Dunning, Corporate Leadership Psychologist

Evelyn Clark works with many leaders who want to enhance creativity through storytelling. She also gives examples of the stories corporate leaders tell their employees. This gives insight into the philosophies of companies like Costco, Nike, Kodak, Mary Kay, FedEx and Southwest Airlines.

So, how can you strengthen your company with stories?

Employees need to understand the company's philosophy and the history. When leaders tell the stories of how a company came into existence or how a product changed lives, this gives meaning to going to work everyday. It is always helpful to know you are part of a greater plan, a company that is changing the world or at least making life better for people buying the products.

Evelyn Clark focuses on visionary leaders who use stories to create the future they desire. How was a track coach inspired by his wife's waffle iron? The story of Nike is rather intriguing and then the stories of how the company has influenced lives gets even more entertaining. The company puts stories at their corporate website to inspire and many stories can be told online.

You may find yourself gravitating to specific stories because you recognize the company or have an interest in the specific type of product a company is selling. The story of Kodak is more universal and if you have yet to see a Mary Kay car, then you may not be living in America. These are stories we can all relate to and Evelyn explains how to communicate through broadcast media or in print. Could you motivate your employees through a daily voice-mailbox message or would it be better to put the story at your website?

Around the Corporate Campfire is filled with stories to inspire success in your company. Even if you don't own a company, this book is entertaining reading and could give you some interesting material for conversations with friends, especially if they enjoy shopping at Costco, REI or wear Nike shoes. Reading the core values of REI gives insight into why some companies succeed and why core values are crucial to success.

~The Rebecca Review