The Power of a Good Story
This is about a piece of paper. It’s about a small scrap of paper no bigger than a credit card. It’s about a few sentences that make all the difference for a business dating back to 1928. But now we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.
A few years ago, I met a man named Allen Behar. Based out of Miami, Allen’s story actually beings in pre-revolutionary Cuba with his father, Ike. The youngest of three brothers, Ike learned the fine art of custom-tailoring at the shop owned by his father, Samuel Behar. By the age of 17, Ike was making custom shirts to compliment the suits his father created.
Taking the craft to America, Ike continues to supply some of the best shirts in the world to the best stores in the world. And along the way, he’s taught people like me an important lesson, all with a piece of paper.
The paper in question is a note that hangs on every shirt. It’s the history of Ike Behar’s shirts. A history of commitment to excellence that exhibits Samuel Behar’s credo:
“Hard work and an uncompromising dedication to one’s craft is the only way to achieve perfection.”
And contained within those few sentences of copy is something much bigger than just a paragraph of text. Contained in those sentences is one of the reasons people are willing to pay the premium price. Contained in those sentences is a story.
That’s the difference between good companies and great companies. That’s the difference between good leaders and great leaders. The ability to tell a story, to create a three dimensional, inspiring view of life is a powerfully important thing. A story that people can believe in and remember and repeat. And in a world continually cluttered with noise and busyness, we all need to learn how to tell better stories.
It probably costs Allen a dollar to put that piece of paper on every shirt. On a spreadsheet that investment might not make sense. But there is a confidence that grows in the mind of the customer against all the other choices they might have when it comes to shirts as they read that story. Ultimately, the value Allen gains from it and the value you can too from telling smart stories, is immeasurable.
What story are you telling?
SO true!!!