The second half of a dropdeck in a New Yorker piece caught my attention by raising a question about origin stories. The article is worth reading on its own merits (link below) but I want to focus on the issue in a different context.
Over the years in my many full-time jobs and part-time consulting work, I have often been asked to help craft an origin story or what we sometimes more cynically call the founder’s myth.
The goal of the leadership teams in these organizations is usually to establish (or re-establish) control over their own narrative, as opposed to allowing it to be dominated by others.
The “others” in this case might be journalists, historians, competitors, customers, disgruntled ex-employees, conspiracy theorists, poets, artists, singers, or in our time some random Instagram or TikTok “influencer.”
And that is a problem.
Re-gaining control of your own organization’s narrative can be a tricky business when one highly-publicized event may have had an inordinate influence in shaping public opinion.
Part of the key is to understand the elements of story-telling — characters, pace, perspective, drama, narrative arc, pivot points, emotional resonance, etc. — much as if you were scripting a movie or writing a novel.
Too many powerful people insist on sticking to the story they want to tell and the way they want to tell it, even when the context around them has changed in ways that make that no longer feasible.
The classic case is a company with a product that has harmed people. One angry customer can start a boycott or a consumer movement against the company that causes real damage over time.
The solution? Adapt your story to the new reality, acknowledge mistakes if they were made, and craft a new chapter to your story that celebrates solutions, moving on, redemption and a new beginning.
That’s not exactly an origin story but it may become something more important — your future story.
That New Yorker story is: Why the School Wars Still Rage — From evolution to anti-racism, parents and progressives have clashed for a century over who gets to tell our origin stories.
Today’s News (75):
Prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and Czech Republic meet Zelensky in Kyiv (CNN)
Three European prime ministers rode a train for Kyiv, the first visit by foreign leaders to the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its invasion, and a striking symbol of Ukraine's success so far in fending off Russia's assault. (Reuters)
Diplomacy Quickens to Halt Ukraine War or Stop Its Expansion (NYT)
Kyiv terrain will slow Russian troops, say Ukraine generals (BBC)
Fierce fighting continues; talks to resume as civilian toll mounts (WP)
Russia steps up bombardment of Kyiv, civilians flee Mariupol (AP)
Hundreds held like hostages inside Mariupol hospital - official (BBC)
Protester with 'No War' sign walks onto Russian state TV set (NBC)
Marina Ovsyannikova: Russian journalist tells of 14-hour interrogation (BBC)
Russia revises laws to crack down on media, antiwar protesters (NHK)
A jet linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich landed in Moscow, after taking off from Istanbul following a brief stop there. Meanwhile, Spain has temporarily seized a Russian oligarch's $140 million yacht in Barcelona, with sources saying the vessel belongs to the head of Russian state conglomerate Rostec, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)
How Kyiv’s outgunned defenders have kept Russian forces from capturing the capital (WP)
Fox News says its veteran war photojournalist has been killed reporting in Ukraine (CNN)
2 members of the Fox News team in Ukraine were killed in an attack (NPR)
Zelensky asks Canada's parliament to ‘Please close the sky' (BBC)
As European leaders travel to Kyiv, Russia claims it holds Ukraine's Kherson region (NPR)
White House: Biden will travel to Europe for Ukraine talks (AP)
A wartime effort to quickly translate work by Ukrainian novelists, poets and historians is underway — a project as political as it is cultural, authors and translators say. (NYT Books)
Putin signs law allowing seizure of foreign planes for domestic flights (The Hill)
‘I will go back to help’: Women head home to aid war effort (AP)
UN says nearly 3 million people have fled Ukraine (NHK)
Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch warns Putin will move west if he wins in Ukraine (NPR)
When Russian bombs started falling on Kyiv, oncologist Nataliia Verovkina fled with her 10-year-old son. But once he was safe in Munich with his grandparents, she turned around and went back. We spoke to medics and volunteers trying to prop up Ukraine's health system. (Reuters)
Russia Deploys a Mystery Munition in Ukraine — Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles are releasing a previously unknown decoy designed to evade air-defense systems, an American official said. (NYT)
America Needs a Better Plan to Fight Autocracy. — By enabling Putin and other global kleptocrats, the West undermined democracy. It’s time to change tactics. (Atlantic)
Foreign fighters in Ukraine await weapons in chaos of war (AP)
Russians protest as Kremlin seeks to shape young minds (NHK)
Inside Chernobyl, 200 Exhausted Staff Toil Round the Clock at Russian Gunpoint (WSJ)
Thousands of Russians opposed to President Vladimir V. Putin are seeking asylum at the Mexican border, mostly near San Diego, (AP)
Putin’s Nuclear Threats Are a Wake-Up Call for the World — The Russian leader’s actions have opened our eyes to how dependent we all are on the whims of one man and his nuclear arsenal. Atlantic)
Ukrainian drone attack on Russian forces hiding in a forest (CNN)
Ukraine war may lead to rethinking of US defense of Europe (AP)
The European Union formally approved a new barrage of sanctions against Russia, which include bans on investments in the Russian energy sector, luxury goods exports and imports of steel products from Russia. Britain said it would ban the export of luxury goods to Russiaand impose a new 35% tariff on $1.2 billion worth of Russian imports. (Reuters)
Animals Can Be Refugees Too — Images of some of the refugee cats and dogs of Ukraine being cared for as family members, and brought to safety (Atlantic)
China warns of retaliation if hit by Russia sanctions fallout (Financial Times)
About a fifth of major Japanese firms suspend operations in Russia (NHK)
Bond Markets Forecast Long Financial Freeze for Russia (WSJ)
A divided US hangs together on the question of Ukraine (Financial Times)
Don’t Blame the West for Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (New Yorker)
Key inflation measure hits double digits for February (CNN)
Inflation, recession risk are about to get much, much worse (WP)
Investors are more concerned about the outlook for global growth than at any time since the financial crisis in 2008, and they have ramped up their cash holdings to a two-year high, according to a monthly fund manager survey by BofA. Financial indicators are showing increasing signs of stress, as investors see risks spiking and fear a market-wide liquidity crunch. (Reuters)
US unprepared for future rise in Covid cases, warns White House (Financial Times)
COVID-19 cases more than double in China’s growing outbreak (AP)
China's soaring COVID infections fuel concern about cost of containment (Reuters)
China Covid cases hit two-year high with millions in lockdown as outbreak spreads (Guardian)
Chinese virus cases climb, raise threat of trade disruption (AP)
Shares in China fall amid strongest COVID-19 lockdown yet (NPR)
Pfizer, BioNTech to seek authorization of second coronavirus booster shot for people 65 and older (WP)
Fully vaccinated will need fourth dose later this year, and new variant dubbed ‘deltacron’ detected in Europe (MarketWatch)
We're Not Prepared For The Next Pandemic Phase: Dealing With Long COVID (HuffPost)
Do masks in school affect kids' speech and social skills? (NPR)
U.S. plans to sell F-15 fighters to Egypt amid human rights dispute (Politico)
Covid, Russia and crime: GOP presidential hopefuls take swipes at Trump’s record (Politico)
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) provided a lengthy rationale for declining to ever appear on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program, describing it as being “full of Russian propaganda and not news.” Carlson often attacks Kinzinger, one of a handful of Republicans in Congress who have been repeatedly and publicly critical of former President Donald Trump. [HuffPost]
Half of Americans Doubt Biden Will Run in 2024, WSJ Poll Shows (WSJ)
Document in Jan. 6 Case Shows Plan to Storm Government Buildings (NYT)
Another Jan. 6 mystery revealed: Pence's second script rewrite (Politico)
AP-NORC poll: Many Black Americans doubtful on police reform (AP)
Can states limit abortion and gender-affirming treatments outside their borders? (NPR)
California lawmakers headed off an enrollment freeze at the University of California, Berkeley, that threatened the growth not only of the iconic campus but also of public education institutions across the state. (Cal Today)
Scientists Use 196 Lasers To Recreate the Conditions Inside Gigantic Galaxy Clusters – “One of the Most Awe-Inspiring Things in the Universe” (SciTechDaily)
Instagram, TikTok could get sued for addicting kids under California proposal (Politico)
Hope for Kenya’s mountain bongos as five released into sanctuary (Guardian)
Hiring woes plague Biden effort to contain wildfires (Politico)
Sleeping with even a small amount of light may harm your health, study says (CNN)
Oil Companies Lament Rising Price Of Joe Manchin (The Onion)
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