Rediscovering Your Story

An adventure into a new world of possibilities!

Agenda

• Introduction – My Story

• Market Realities

• My Family’s Story

• Storytelling – Your Story and Job Searching

• Storytelling Masters

• Next Steps

Introduction

• Mark Sherman – Founder/CEO Nehmedia, Inc.– Engineer by training (UT – BSME, IBM)– Harvard MBA by desire (Escape Route)– Entrepreneur by choice

• Multimedia when multimedia wasn’t cool (pre Windows)• Interactive Television for Healthcare (Venture backed & Bankrupt)• Private Label Digital Satellite Television (Venture backed &

Bankrupt)• Nehmedia – because my family needed me and I didn’t like my

options

The Best Business Book in the Bible: Nehemiah• The King’s Cupbearer is in despair – the walls of

Jerusalem are broken. Cries out to the Lord:Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” Nehemiah 1:11

• In front of the King shares his heart’s desire – to rebuild the walls

• Gets a letter of passage and all the support to accomplish his mission.

• First scouts out the work to be done privately and then shares the visionThen I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. Nehemiah 2:17

• Mocked, Ridiculed, Attacked but preparedThose who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. Nehemiah 4:17-18

• Had to address trickery, corruption, and set a good example of integrity and focus

• Wall Completed in 52 Days• When completed they celebrated and understood the

words God had given them.Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. Nehemiah 8:12

My Story – How Nehmedia Launched– Spent 3 years researching and learning to program

– Interviewed with

– Turned down the job but got a contract that help really launch my company – that was in 2005

TAKE AWAYS• Find Your Passion – Who are You?

– I am a builder, data geek, and marketer

• Tell the Truth but be passionate– I walked in and saw the cubicles and said no way

• Tell stories in your interviews– I told them about my research, experience, failures

and how I could help them

• Great Read: Cure for the Common Life, Max Lucado

My Elevator Pitch

• I am in the business of Noise Reduction – and I don’t build headphones. I help people find new customers by increasing their visibility on Google.

TAKE AWAYS• What is your Elevator Pitch? Be Concise. Have a hook. Communicate your core.

Make it relatable. Leave them wanting to ask for more. How do you do that?

Digital Marketing

• Break through the clutter of Digital Media by increasing their visibility to qualified prospects

• Focus on lead generation – with a specialty with Pets and Kids and some B2B• Now serve over 100 clients – trying to build customers for life

MARKET REALITIES

The Job Market Has Changed

• Retail, Health Care and Service Jobs seeing the most growth– Quality of new jobs is low –

Restaurants and Bars– Service jobs – accounting,

law and engineering driving growth

– Aging population driving Health care

• Economy has stalled – low growth rate despite record low interest rates

Productivity Is To Blame• Technology has transformed the workplace

– BYOC – Bring Your Own Computer – reduces IT Workforce– Mobile Phones

• Reduces need for computers in workplace• 66% of all emails opened on phones• People are always working

– Reduction of capital required to start a business• Cloud computer – massive servers available online –

we rent computing power by the minute• YouTube – everyone can be a videographer• Food Trucks – why open a restaurant

– Transformative technologies challenging the status quo• Internet – Why do we need libraries• NetFlix/Hulu – Why do we need cable TV?• Drones – Why use an airplane for pictures

TAKE AWAYS• Your Story must reflect the changing realities of the marketplace.• Your old skills may not mean the same• What value can you bring to a changing marketplace• What jobs will exists in 10 years and which ones will not?

MY FAMILY’S STORY

Best Investment Ever

• Daughter Amanda – 26 yrs old

• Has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

• Choices I made were to help her.

• Graduated from small Christian college in Ohio

• Shifted majors: music –> ministry –> psychology

• Fatherly advice: Find the best pediatric pain psychologist in the country and offer to work for free for a summer. I would pay for living expenses.

• $3,000 summer turned into a full ride PhD at major University – 7 years education with monthly stipend -> equivalent to low six figures in value

TAKE AWAYS

• Tell your story as to why you want to help/serve someone

• Offer to volunteer or work for free to prove your worth

• Add value and have faith that “…for such a time as this” Esther 4:14

Base Hits, Not Home Runs• Daughter Samantha – 23 yrs old

• Wanted to be an High School College Counselor (her home run).

• Hard to find the perfect job – required college admissions experience, teaching degree.

• Got a job with small local university as an admissions recruiter/event coordinator – Got on base. Job switched multiple times. Organization in disarray.

• 1 Year later, resigned and accepted a position with a small start-up non-profit transforming education by mentoring first generation college students and leveraging online universities.

TAKE AWAYS

• Getting on base, getting your foot in the door is much more important. Get hired and then figure out move up or out to that better job.

• Don’t be afraid to take a risk, but stay on course to your true purpose

• Storyline: Hank Arron, all time leader in Home Runs would have had more success for team if he had gotten on base.

Pursue Your Passion

• Wife Cindy – Age – Top Secret – Married 33 years

• UT Mechanical Engineer – Experience with Robotics, Development to Manufacturing Optimization, Sales

• Changed her job to “a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.” – a mom for 21 years.

• Volunteered at church doing benevolence and community impact support.

• Wanted to reenter the workforce after youngest child went to college but worried she didn’t have the skills

• Hired by the church she volunteered at - HCBC

TAKE AWAYS

• Your previous titles are not necessarily your gifts and talents

• Offer to volunteer or work for free to prove your worth

• Focus your story on what you can contribute – she is great at connecting people and projects but has a heart for service

STORYTELLING – YOUR STORY AND JOB SEARCHING

Rewrite Your Story"Who are we but the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, and believe?" -- Scott Turow, Ordinary Heroes.

• Our Negative Stories– I'm too... busy, overqualified, under-qualified, old, young, fat, thin, angry, shy,

depressed, ashamed I lost my job...

– I can't because... it's not the right time, I'm not ready, I won't know anyone, my childhood was terrible, I have health issues, I can't afford it, I'm a CEO and I don't want to ask for help...

– They... won't let me, won't reimburse me, said I couldn't, said so, said it's not in the budget, said I'm too...

• Uncover the Truth About Your Story

• Our Stories, and How We Believe in Them, Can Hold Us Back or Drive us Forward

• You must Rewrite Your Story

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson http://www.quintcareers.com/we_create_our_story.html

http://www.quintcareers.com/career_storytelling/

Value of Storytelling In Job Search

• Stories establish your identity and reveal your personality; they satisfy the basic human need to be known.

• Stories help you know yourself and build confidence.• Stories make you memorable.• Stories establish trust.• Stories establish an emotional connection between storyteller and listener

and inspire the listener’s investment in the storyteller’s success.• Stories help you stand out.• Stories illustrate skills, accomplishments, values, characteristics,

qualifications, expertise, strengths, and more. • Stories paint vivid pictures.• Stories explain key life/career decisions, choices, and changes.• Stories told well help you portray yourself as a strong communicator.

http://careerrocketeer.com/2011/01/brain-research-shows-the-power-of-storytelling-in-the-job-search.html

StoryTelling Structure

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/museworksheets/Muse_One_Core_Question-2a.pdf

STORYTELLING MASTERS

Storytelling Masters: Steve Jobs

• 1984 Introduced the Macintosh Computer• Introduced the Villain – IBM• Create the context of the battle – Orwell’s

Big Brother• Revealed the conquering hero – Macintosh• Cue the Showstopper – the Unexpected

twist

Hello, I am Macintosh. It sure is great to get out of that bag. Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking, I’d like to share with you a maxim I thought of the first time I met an IBM mainframe: Never trust a computer you can’t lift. Obviously, I can talk right now, but I’d like to sit back and listen. So, it is with considerable pride that I introduce a man who has been like a father to me: Steve Jobs.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/01/24/mac-1984-steve-jobs-revolutionizes-the-art-of-corporate-storytelling/

• 1. What's It Worth To You? (Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price)• 2. Are We Contagious? (Parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast)• 3. A Christmas Parable (Parable of the Tenants)• 4. What Do You Think About God? (Parable of the Persistent Friend)• 5. What Stirs God's Heart? (Parable of the Lost Sheep)• 6. What a Waste! (Parable of the Rich Fool)• 7. What Are You Afraid Of? (Parable of the Pounds [Ten Minas])• 8. How Can I Forgive? (Parable of the Unforgiving Servant)• 9. What Are You Thinking? (Parable of the Shrewd Manager)• 10. What's Your Hurry? (Parable of the Good Samaritan)• 11. Who Do You Live To Please? (Parable of the Two Sons)• 12. What Should We Do While We Wait? (Parable of the Ten Virgins)• 13. What's It Going To Cost Me? (Parables of the Tower and the King)• 14. What Are You Waiting For? (Parable of the Prodigal Son)

“Jesus was a great storyteller, To invent the story about the Good Samaritan, you hear it once, you never forget it, you tell it to somebody else and it still has the same effect.” Philip Pullman, Renowed Atheist

Storytelling Masters: Jesus

https://bible.org/series/jesus-master-storytellerhttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/19/atheist-author-jesus-was-a-genius-of-storytelling-children-can-learn-from-the-bible/

Storytelling Masters: David Isay

• StoryCorps, founder, David Isay, has collected more than 50,000 personal interviews since 2003.

• Won 6 Peabody Awards and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

• Got interested in listening to people’s stories after he found out his father was gay

• Interviews are not house in the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center – the largest single collection of recorded voices in history.

• Won the 2015 $1M TED awards and created StoryCorps App – inviting friends and loved ones to conduct 40-minture interviews with friends and loved ones using a mobile app.

• Hopes to have a national homework assignment during Thanksgiving (2015 or 2016). All high school students taking American History interview their grandparents or parents

http://www.npr.org/2015/06/05/411734279/how-do-we-change-when-we-really-listen-to-the-people-we-love

Storytelling Masters: TED Talks

• A collection of over 1,000+ talks

• Inspiring, thought provoking, amazing

• 20 minutes in length

• Integrates thought leaders from different expertise to reflect on areas outside their specialities.

• Masterful Storytelling

• http://www.drewgneiser.com/10-best-ted-talks-on-storytelling/

NEXT STEPS

Next Steps

• Rediscover your true self – what makes you tick, what brings you joy, how can that be used to add value

• Weave your strengths, passions into short stories that ask a question or states a problem, and then tell them how you as the main character solved the problem. Unexpected endings are more memorable

• Build an elevator speech – 1 minute to summarize your story• Stay positive and be grateful for the stories you have• Share your storyline with friends, families, invite them into be a

part of your story• Get rid of the fear, anxiety – you are telling your story and no one

can dispute that• Your circumstance can’t be changed immediately, but your

perspective can

Personal Encouragement

• Don’t be afraid to invite God into your story

– For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

• Your Story is your Letter

– You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.

2 Corinthians 3:2

Congratulations

• You are unemployed – on the beach, out of work.– 70% of Americans hate their job –

Gallup Poll Study

• You have a unique and wonderful opportunity to redefine your story– Discover your purpose– Tell a new story of passion and

mission– Invite people to be a part of your

story

• Open the Wardrobe and take a step into the adventure of writing the next chapter of your story