David Martin & Company

Work Smarter. Dream Bigger.

Feeling strong?
Click here to test
your Confidence strength

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Our Services
  • Our Clients
    • Our Clients Say
  • Contact Us

Legalized mind control that keeps you watching the Olympics

August 11, 2016 by David Martin 2 Comments

For 10, 15, and 20 years, elite athletes have been preparing to win Gold in Rio. But for much longer, TV network executives have been preparing in a different way to guarantee you’ll stay tuned in.

Their secret is 100% relevant if YOU want to win Gold in the areas that matter to you.

How do the TV networks keep you coming back?
It’s hidden in plain sight: Storytelling.

storytellingA well-told story will inspire you to act in ways that defy logic — including staying glued to the screen when it’s past time for bed. It’s legalized mind control.

If it was just athletes racing on a track or swimming laps in a pool with no stories, it might catch your eye. But you wouldn’t rearrange your life to keep tuning in.

It’s the stories.
National pride stories. Personal dream stories. Underdog stories. They’re like a siren song.

Story hooks your brain.
Story hooks the emotional and social parts of your brain, superseding logic and priorities. It keeps you magnetized to the screen long beyond your intention.

Network executives know your brain just can’t resist the behind-the-scenes story about an über athlete or a team plagued by injury.

Add in the hook no one can resist: no guaranteed victories
The Olympics aren’t an action movie where your hero always wins. Olympic drama is real, and your hero could lose.

Will Michael Phelps do it again? No guarantees. You have to keep watching to the end.

Stories change your actions — leverage it!
When stories hook us, they cause us to act in ways that defy logic and reasoning. Stories get us to blast through fears and obstacles.

Without stories, you’d never do anything great.

You don’t need steroids to fly high. You need an awesome story.

A good story will win you Gold
Let these three levels of story “Olympicize” your success.

Level One: The hero’s story is your story
Master storyteller Bo Eason says that we listen to stories autobiographically. A story of an Olympian who struggled through overwhelming difficulties makes you think of your own struggles. Their grit to persevere reminds you of your own grit.

Be shameless. Let these athlete’s stories remind you of your own awesomeness.

Level Two: Olympians tell Olympic-sized stories
The most important story for elite athletes is the one they tell to themselves about themselves. What kind of a story do you think they’re telling?

Unless their stories of themselves were as big as their dreams, they’d never have endured the years of grueling training to arrive at the Olympics.

Story alone will not make them an Olympian. But if their story isn’t big enough, they need not bother. They won’t exceed their own autobiography.

Level You: How grand is your autobiography?
What’s the story you’re telling about yourself? Really, answer that question for your own sake. Your answer determines your future.

Just like athletes, your level of success and satisfaction won’t exceed the level of your autobiography. But a well-told story can pave the way to gold.

How big is your story? Is it as big as your dreams?

Save

Save

Filed Under: Competition, Confidence, Goals, High Performance, Impact Player, Influence, Mastery, New Thinking, Success, Uncategorized Tagged With: confidence, goals, high performance, storytelling, success

Comments

  1. Gilbert Davila says

    August 16, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    David, your observations are spot on! Having worked at Disney (including ABC and ESPN), I can attest to the fact that it’s the stories that arrest us. Swimming would have never garnered the viewership it has if it wasn’t led by the Phelps story. He needed to participate even if he had a broken leg-actually NBC would have garnered even greater ratings 🙂 Each of us have interesting, if not some Olympian stories to tell that can magnify us but I find that it is sometimes the smaller ones that can also have a real impact on people. Love your thoughts and writing. Thank you for sharing a great perspective.

    Reply
    • David Martin says

      September 21, 2016 at 3:07 pm

      Thanks, Gil. You speak from experience. Well said.

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Connect with Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sign Up for Newsletter

Our Clients Say

 I still hear about my work with David Martin, some five years ago. People at my company will say things like, ‘She made huge strides when she worked with David’ or ‘You should have seen how much positive change she accomplished during that time.’ All good things! 

Beth Himes
Vice President, Local & Regional Business Service Operations, Aetna

 David has become one of my most trusted business advisors. I initially looked to him for guidance in stepping-up my individual performance and leadership but our relationship quickly evolved to where I seek David’s problem-solving skills for the key strategic issues and challenges facing my business. David’s clear thinking helps me sort through the ambiguities that seem to be ever present in today’s tough business climate. 

Erik G. Birkerts
CEO, Clean Energy Trust

 I am amazed at what I’ve accomplished with David’s help. He has given me the skills and tools to keep me moving forward. More than once, I’ve marveled at his insight and ability to clearly express very complex concepts. I thought coaching was going to be hard, but it was the best thing that happened to me. 

Farhad Aghdami
Partner, Williams Mullen

 David Martin is brilliant. His style feels so intuitive, like being coached by a hybrid of Phil Jackson and your closest friend. His ability to hone in quickly on what may be blocking success is swift — but what separates him are his creative and easy-to-implement tools. Plus it’s fun to be his client. 

Gracia Walker
Director, Business Development, Yum Yum NYC, LLC

 David sets very high standards of performance for himself and his clients. He has a very engaging style, listens acutely and devises action steps that are built around current business needs. It’s the results that matter. During the time David spent with me and my team, my region earned the honor of ‘Most Improved’ in our first year, a top third ranking in our second year, and a National Performance Award as the fifth region in the nation in our final year! 

Jeff Holland
Regional Vice President, GlaxoSmithKline

 David has provided me with sound, mature and measured advice and perspective. He’s extremely skilled at strategic thinking and identifying effective tactical action plans. I highly recommend David Martin. 

John A. Schauss
CFO, Media General, Inc.

 David played a critical role in developing a strategy for initiating a series of new partnerships, and then helped us launch them by devising tactical plans. He identifies gaps and then works with you to close them, so you can focus on areas that are key to driving success. 

Kurt Thearling
Head of Decision Sciences, Vertex Business Services

 My time with David was head and shoulders above any coaching experience that I’ve ever had. He developed a deep understanding of my style and situation and provided concrete practices for me to work on that improved my game substantially. 

Rob Finnegan
Managing Partner, 2nd Order Solutions
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2019 · DavidMartinCo.com