What Do LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Mary Lou Retton, and Mitch Ditkoff Have in Common?
Give up? They are all Bronze Medal winners -- LeBron, Michael, and Mary Lou in various Olympics and Mitch in the just announced 2016 Axiom Business Book Awards competition in the Success/Motivation/Coaching category.
The Bronze Medal, in case you've been in a coma since 1904 (when it was first bestowed at the St. Louis Olympics) is awarded to the third place finisher. I must admit that when I first heard that I was a Bronze Medal winner, I was disappointed, hoping for the Gold or, at least, the Silver medal.
But then I read about some research done by social psychologists, in 1995, that showed that Bronze Medal winners were significantly happier than those who had won the Silver Medal -- comforting, indeed, as I highly value happiness, one of the key themes of my Bronze Medal winning book, STORYTELLING AT WORK: How Moments of Truth on the Job Reveal the Real Business of Life.
Further research revealed that one of my favorite comedians of all time, Jerry Seinfeld, shed light on this topic in 2008. Seinfeld's rant on this little understood phenomena, I am thrilled to say, is more proof that my winning of the Bronze Medal is something to be happy about.
Silver Medalists, you see, are usually depressed about not winning the Gold, but Bronze Medalists are happy they didn't come in fourth and be completely ignored -- not that I am looking to walk through life with an Axiom Book Award medal around my neck, BUT... I am glad that my recently published Storytelling at Work has gotten some recognition because this may translate into more sales which, of course, will lead to more income and the increased possibility of doing keynotes on the power of storytelling OR, if my clients choose a Gold or Silver Medal winner instead of me for their keynote, then my chances of delivering either of my two storytelling workshops: Creating the Innovation Mindset or Storytelling at Work: The Workshop will have increased.
In any case, I tip my hat to the good people of the Axiom Book Awards for their kind recognition of my book. And I also tip my hat to the Gold and Silver Medal winners in my category, as well as the author who tied for the Bronze Medal. I'm sure they are great people with their own increased optimism that their books will have increased visibility.
If you are interested in how this newly crowned Bronze Medal winner (that's me, Mitch Ditkoff, folks) and his company can spark innovation in your company, let me hear from you (mitch@ideachampions.com) or just log onto Amazon and buy my book to see what all the fuss is about.
Below are some links that will give you a better understanding of why Storytelling at Work won an Axiom Book Award, how storytelling, consciously done, can spark innovation, wisdom, and massive amounts of renewed employee engagement.
Three minute video: why storytelling matters
Voice America radio interview
Amazon reviews of the book
Harnessing the Power of Storytelling
Storytelling at Work podcast
Book of the Month selection:
Other articles on storytelling
What my clients say
My new storytelling blog
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