The Dynamics of Business Behavior

6Narrative and Communication

CLOSE YOUR EYES for a moment and envision yourself amidst a vast sea of people on a hot summer day in 1963. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was humming with anticipation. The energy was palpable as over 250,000 pairs of eyes turned to one man, Martin Luther King Jr. His voice began to narrate a history—not of a nation, not of an event, but of himself. He spoke of the Emancipation Proclamation, a turning point in his life and for every African American. It was personal, intimate, his own life intertwined with history.

As his speech progressed, King wove a tale that transcended his individual narrative, bringing together the struggles, aspirations, and experiences of those before him and those surrounding him. He spoke of a collective journey for equality, drawing in every person listening, making it our shared history. And then he shifted once more, his voice rallying for action, for now, echoing the urgency of making the promises of democracy a reality.

A few decades later, in Grant Park, Chicago, a similar narrative unfolded. Barack Obama, a name that was soon to be etched in the annals of history, shared his unique journey—a narrative of a mixed-race heritage, of an upbringing by a single mother and his grandparents. It was his story, individual yet resonant. Yet his words reached beyond just his life. He told a narrative of shared hopes and dreams, a collective journey of the American people. And then, as if following an unseen compass, ...