Christmas 2025 was a time to cosy up on the sofa with a few good books free from guilt about unfinished tasks.The joys of having grown up daughters who can cater better than I ever could!
One standout read was "Storyworthy" by Matthew Dicks, a professional storyteller who needs a constant stream of great stories. He recommends his “homework forever” practice: spending five minutes each day reflecting on special moments that could spark great stories. A habit that records the moments that made each day meaningful, and would otherwise have likely been forgotten. The regular practice prevents days and weeks from blurring together.
Reflecting on this made me think about the "SWIFT habit", which encourages us to notice everyday excellence in our teams. SWIFT stands for:
- Seek out examples of excellence
-Write it down & recognise it
- Investigate what made it great
- Find the repeatable micro behaviours
- Tell that story - invest in making it truly memorable
By adopting ‘everyday homework’ you could master stage one ‘Seek out examples of excellence’.
Consider these moments:
- Your child wouldn’t let you leave without a hug goodbye.
- An apprentice bravely proposed a radical safety improvement in a meeting.
- A colleague shared how they assess risks when mountain biking.
With a bit of work, each of those moments could be transformed into a "storyworthy"narrative to motivate and inspire your team.
This approach to authentic, emotional storytelling is at the heart of our award-winning work with clients like Transport for London and Mitie, where leaders' personal stories have driven culture transformation.
Get in touch if you'd like to arm your leaders and managers with the skills to discover and retell the stories that could make all the difference to shift your culture, one behaviour at a time, one story at a time.
