The term “control the narrative” can have negative connotations. A narrative is a story. It is an account of events and experiences. “Controlling the narrative” means actively shaping how a story is told – a story that might often be about you. Internal narratives can be our best asset – or they can be our worst enemy – depending on how we control them. They can also have a more profound impact on others than we might realize. I try to take command of my internal personal narrative to ensure that I am sharing a positive external story at work.
As managers and professionals, controlling the narrative in our minds influences our emotions and helps us make balanced decisions. We can gain a better perspective on situations by focusing on constructive aspects, which can in turn help prevent bias and negativity from clouding our judgment.
This lesson became abundantly clear to me through my experience coaching youth sports. The candidness of 10-year-old children served as a constant reminder that they could read me like an open book. Young children will quickly become a reflection of the coaches around them. The highs can’t be too high, because excessive enthusiasm might set unrealistic expectations; and the lows can’t be too low, because a defeatist mindset would inhibit the team’s progress.
While coaching youth hockey, I aspired to maintain a level-headed perspective, celebrating even the tiniest victories. During challenging times, when facing a loss – or several losses – it was essential for me to help tell a positive story to the players by finding silver linings and lessons in the experiences. This approach prevented the players from falling into a negative spiral and was achieved by celebrating small victories, such as: winning a single period, scoring a goal, controlling a face-off, or just playing a successful shift.
This level-headed perspective can help us, as managers, to make more logical choices quickly. The story we convey to our team begins with the narrative that we cultivate in our heads. It is always important to balance the good with the bad. For example, before briefing my team on financial results or important company events, I choose my words carefully so that I don’t oversell a positive result or linger on negative items. Being overly optimistic may seem enticing, but declaring that everything is great all the time will eventually erode one’s credibility. Likewise, adopting a consistently negative perspective – or being a “Debbie Downer” – can drain an entire team’s motivation. Having an open and honest approach is crucial for avoiding extreme positivity or negativity.
Ultimately, controlling the narrative means taking charge of our internal thoughts and emotions and actively shaping how we externally communicate those experiences to others. The goal for leaders is to identify and challenge the negative voice and to replace it with a new, more positive one. Recalibrating our perspective can instill confidence in ourselves and our team, increasing motivation and fostering a resilient mindset. Instead of succumbing to a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure, learn from your setbacks, find wins amidst challenges, and propel your projects toward success.
The way we frame our experiences internally and communicate them externally can be the defining factor between project success and failure. The narrative begins within – how will you let it control your team’s performance?
Rich Bohon is the Head of Analytics at One Energy.
Learn more about Rich and the One Energy team.
