When Dr. Joe Phillips was the technology director for Kansas City Public Schools, he was told by his boss to raise the profile of his department in the district.

He took that direction and ran with it.

By the time he was done, his department, and the people in it, were known throughout the district, throughout the city, and around the world.

What did he do?

Very simply, he told the stories about the work his people did to help teachers. He celebrated his people.

Then, some unexpected things started to happen. Companies and collaborators reached out to him to help. The caliber of applicants for job openings increased. “People wanted to be part of our story,” Dr. Phillips told me.

Easier than You Think

Doing what Dr. Phillips did — and getting those results — is easier than you think. And you don’t have to be a marketing genius or content wizard.

You just need three things:

A love for your people

Your people are the best, and you know it. They support your mission, they go the extra mile, and they’re just plain great to work with. If that’s how you feel about your people, then you’re off to a great start.

An understanding of their story

This is a little harder for some leaders. They might not realize that the work their employees do, how they do it and why they do it, is interesting. But it is. People are interested in human stories. No matter where
they work.

A willingness to take the time

If you love your people and understand why their stories are important, all you need to do is tell them. Consistently. That takes a bit of time. Not a ton of time. But you have to be willing to put in that time.

Unexpected Benefits

As I mentioned before, the results Dr. Phillips enjoyed by simply telling his department’s stories amazed even him. But there was something else.

Not long after he started his storytelling project, he was appointed to a new role for a school district in Florida. And he’s now a nationally recognized expert and leading voice in technology in schools.

I’m not saying all that happened only because of his LinkedIn posts. But it sure didn’t hurt.

This Could Be You

If you manage a team, a department, or a company, by celebrating your people, you could enjoy the same results as Dr. Phillips.

Maybe better.