Story Driven: You don't need to compete when you know who you are

by Bernadette Jiwa

We have become reactive to the competitive landscape, rather than responsive to the needs of our communities—those people we hope to serve. We are so focused on the competition, or even the threat of it, that we’ve forgotten to double down on what makes us and our work unique and valuable.

Your story can be a reminder to ask the big questions that will guide you, and make the small choices that sustain you. Your identity can ground you—serving as a reminder to be intentional about the work you do and deliberate about creating the future you want to see.

‘In personality psychology, what mainly counts when it comes to the idea of a life story is the narrator’s subjective understanding of how he or she came to be the person he or she is becoming—that is, the person’s narrative identity.’

PURPOSE AND VISION—Where you’re going and why. STRATEGY—How you’re going to get there. TACTICS—What you do along the way.

the story-driven framework © 2017 Bernadette Jiwa 1. BACKSTORY: Your journey to now. 2. VALUES: Your guiding beliefs. 3. PURPOSE: Your reason to exist. 4. VISION: Your aspiration for the future. 5. STRATEGY: The alignment of opportunities, plans and behaviour: how you will deliver on your purpose and work towards your aspiration, while staying true to your values.