Jennifer James: Leadership

Jennifer James: Leadership - "Jennifer is an urban cultural anthropologist who was for 12 years a full time faculty member of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at the University of Washington. She left the University in 1982 to follow her interest in international business and community service. She now lectures to audiences around the world.

"One of the difficult aspects of change, particularly when it is accompanied by complex technology and multiplying data sources, is the ability to give up an old story and develop a new one. The 'story' is a common sense version that folds the data into a set of ideas about 'the way things ought to be.' Stories are often set up as myths, history or values when they may only be organizing systems for understanding reality. Leaders must be able to tell the 'new story' if they expect their staff, constituency or client to accept their leadership or their product."