Paul's Story
Innovation makes me tick. I love new ideas, and especially seeing them come to life and succeed. The Storytellers is one of those ideas, but what makes it special is that it really reintroduces business to the oldest and most successful form of engagement. As we develop and learn from our experience, the Storytellers system has become a truly comprehensive programme that can deliver exceptional results at every level - in mission-critical execution against strategy. As we have grown, we have been joined by a great team of very talented people, who all add new perspectives and ideas and widen our base of knowledge. This is innovation in action!
To be honest, the academic side of life bored me while I was at school. I left at 16 to become John Surtees' management trainee and travelled the world with the stars of Grand Prix racing. A fun career in cars turned to serious one in the toy business, and eventually I became CEO of the design and marketing consultancy that bought my toy development business, diversifying into an international company specialising in housewares, stationery, electronics, publishing and more.
I have seven children, although four of them are now officially adults. The household is shrinking along with my wallet as universities and marriages call. We live in rural Northamptonshire, and share our corner of England with a donkey, six very rare North Ronaldsay sheep, a pygmy goat, three ducks and a zillion chickens. And Poppy, my Norfolk Terrier walking companion, who strangely enough is friends with Jim, my daughter Rosie's black and white cat.
Posts by Paul Honeywell
8th Oct 2008 @ 4.09pm
I was very interested to read an article in The Times that seating layouts at school make a huge difference to learning. Round (or oval) tables work far better than typical classroom layouts.
We know this from our work with leadership meetings. As soon as people sit in auditorium rows, they expect to be talked at and not interact. This style is fine for cinemas as you are there to sit, listen and watch - but not for business interaction. Read item »
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc
19th Jun 2008 @ 10.57pm
I recently went on holiday in the Outer Hebrides, beautiful islands off the west coast of northern Scotland. The weather was perfect, so I was fortunate to be able to go on a visit to St Kilda, a further 50 miles off the coast of Harris, and on the very edge of Europe. It has only recently become possible to go, with specially adapted fast boats that take two and a half hours compared to nine hours before. Read item »
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc
10th Jan 2008 @ 9.07pm
John Gapper’s excellent article in the Financial Times talks of the lessons that Barack Obama can teach business leaders.
Among these is is that storytelling is crucial to business. “Many CEOs stand or fall by their ability to frame a story” says Gapper, “not only for investors or analysts about how they are turning a business around but for employees to engage them in making it happen”. Read item »
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc
1st Oct 2007 @ 9.46am
The Sunday Times published a great article which underlines the need for businesses to keep things simple. Chris West, a business advisor and author, says that business needs to speak in a language that ordinary people can understand, and avoid “management-ese”. Read item »
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc
18th Jul 2007 @ 3.13pm
I have always disliked the term ‘human resources’. It implies that people are resources just like anything else at the company’s disposal. Yet people are the company. And whatever plans, strategies and missions may exist, it’s the people - the company - that will succeed or fail in those quests. Read item »
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
14th May 2007 @ 2.23pm
We are all natural born storytellers, so what does telling stories in business settings really feel like?
Business is often very formal, very structured, which is why presentations and events are often built around rigid agendas, charts, and of course the ubiquitous PowerPoint. These tools accentuate that rigidity. It all makes great sense to the presenter, as it is his or her thinking translated into a structure. However, what may work for the presenter very often fails for the audience. They don’t REALLY listen, and are very rarely engaged on an emotional level even if they might be on a rational one.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc, Stories
5th Nov 2006 @ 11.46am
Business executives are going back to school on the ancient spiritual wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, which stresses purpose over self. This should come as a relief to those leaders lacking the swagger of a Lou Gerstner.
Knowing who you are, sharing important touchstones in your career and life without theatrics, and stimulating an organization-wide conversation about the organization’s purpose are increasingly seen by top execs as the path to business strength and resilience.
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Organisations
12th Oct 2006 @ 7.58am
We all inwardly groan when the PowerPoint turns out to be slide after slide of bullets. We all have experienced the workshops which end up with a stack of crumpled flip-chart paper filled with lists - which some poor soul has to type up and email to everyone, who don’t bother to read them.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement
4th Oct 2006 @ 8.31am
What is innovation? Here is an interesting take on the polarities of innovation. Storytelling, for sure, plays an important role in extracting ideas and knowledge from people within organisations, but there are no strict rules as to the form that innovation takes…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc, Organisations
27th Jun 2006 @ 11.41am
The latest report from ISR states clearly that engaged employees will result in improved business performance.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement
3rd Mar 2006 @ 11.06am
A campaign designed by The Storytellers for EDS has received a huge accolade as the company collected PR Week’s coveted Employee Campaign of the Year Award at a glittering ceremony at New York’s Tavern On The Green last night. Fantastic news after a year-long campaign which has achieved superb results for EDS - and a real tribute to our innovative approach to employee engagement!
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Organisations
23rd Jan 2006 @ 5.20pm
Dan Bobinski points out the importance of allowing employees to have some input into important decisions to avoid apathy and grudging compliance. We go along wholeheartedly with this - managers need to be human, make allowances, recognise true commitment and give back accordingly when flexibility is needed if they are to get the best out of their employees.
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement
6th Oct 2005 @ 10.28am
Charles Woodruffe has written a truly insightful piece in Legal Week into what exactly motivates and engages employees, and points out that whilst this is important for every employee, it is especially necessary for talented people who are likely to become the leaders of the future. He raises some interesting points, not least that whilst the CEO’s of most organisations agree that their people are their most precious asset, and that they need to foster the right conditions to get the best out of them, ‘the trouble is that organisations do not necessarily put this thinking into practice…..’
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
29th Sep 2005 @ 8.16am
Today in The Daily Telegraph Robert Miller looks at how Storytelling has helped companies such as BP, EDS, Parcelforce Worldwide, Hertz, Yell and Standard Life to engage their employees.
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under News, Engagement
8th Sep 2005 @ 11.29am
Do you notice when people have an attitude? I certainly do. It’s that hard-to-define thing that exudes from people - the way they move, the way they talk, the eye contact, the gestures.
Most people in most situations don’t have a discernable attitude. It’s in that great grey zone of the unremarkable. We think little of them, because they make little impact.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement
15th Aug 2005 @ 5.05pm
Recently there has been much talk of ‘Love Brands’. I think that this is a very interesting notion, and it got me thinking.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Brands
5th Jul 2005 @ 3.38pm
In an excerpt to Seth Godin’s new book ‘All Marketers Are Liars’, we read that the key to profitable growth is from giving consumers what they want, not what they need. People tell themselves compelling stories about what they want, and in turn believe that this is indeed what they need. Read on….!
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Brands
24th Jun 2005 @ 11.31am
Another piece of research from across the pond tells us that a growing number of American employees are unproductive, dissatisfied and disengaged, often creating a negative impact on their business. It’s a lesson we can learn here - the same rules apply.
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement
3rd Jun 2005 @ 6.40pm
I’m a passionate believer in innovation. By that, I mean doing thing differently, or better, and always to answer a genuine need. I have been privileged to work with some of the finest innovators there are. But one thing stands out to me - and that is the need to combine great skills in the perfect mix. Add a strong dose of determination, and great things will emerge.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement
20th Apr 2005 @ 12.09pm
Engagement is a positive attitude held by the employee towards the organisation and its values. An engaged employee is aware of business context, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organisation. The organisation must work to nurture, maintain and grow engagement, which requires a two-way relationship between employer and employee. (IES)
Much analysis and statistical data has been collated to prove the benefits of employee engagement and the detrimental effect of disengaged employees.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement
14th Feb 2005 @ 11.33am
There are various versions of the story of the blind men and the elephant. The blind men and the elephant is a legend that appears in different cultures - notably China, Africa and India - and the tale dates back thousands of years. Some versions of the story feature three blind men, others five or six, but the message is always the same. Here’s a story of the six blind men and the elephant:
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Stories
15th Jan 2005 @ 9.57am
A friend of ours called Patrick met Red Adair, the great fire-fighter a few years ago. He was talking at a conference, but after the main event, Patrick got the chance to speak with him one to one. Our friend had a question that he was burning to ask the great man.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Stories
10th Jan 2005 @ 11.38am
I visited a factory in China which makes toys and electronic products. 8,000 female workers come from the depths of China and work for 3 years, six and a half days a week, with two weeks off per year. They live on site, in dormitories, and gain privileges to use the gym, go to the cinema and so on - it’s a small town in its own right.
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posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Stories
