Eureka! - discover the power of your back-story

Sometimes the best ideas come to us at the unlikeliest times. Greek mathematician Archimedes had his famous eureka! moment whilst climbing into the bath - observing the water level rising led to his famous theory of water displacement and the calculation of volume.

Knowing where an idea came from adds to its allure. It allows us ‘see behind’ what’s presented to us, which in turn helps us understand (and trust) what we’re seeing. Think of a piece of artwork – the artist had the idea to create it but we like to know when it was painted, who the artist was, why he chose that scene and what influenced his style. It helps us truly value what’s in front of us.

There’s a profound lesson here for business owners (and indeed job seekers) who strive to sell their product in a competitive marketplace. Too often they place their wares in front of the buyer, explain its features and expect a sale. But as Simon Sinek reminds us in his wonderful TEDx talk (2009) it’s not the ‘what’ that sells but the ‘why’.

I wrote in a recent post that there’s some confusion about this notion of ‘the why’. By ‘why’ you might mean why there’s a need for what you offer in the marketplace. But another version is, “why I do things the way I do”, and this is where the back-story plays a part.

In Steve Jobs (2011 Little, Brown) by Walter Isaacson, the Apple pioneer explains to his biographer that his obsession with design and precision engineering was partly influenced by his adoptive father Paul Jobs. Young Steve would watch his father build fence panels and cabinets and go to great lengths to ensure everything was crafted perfectly, “even the parts you couldn’t see.” This was a lesson Jobs would take into his Apple designs, beautifully engineered even on the inside.

Similarly, Jobs’ enrolment on a calligraphy class at college influenced his thinking on the font which made the Apple typeface so distinctive.

Including the back-story in your pitch makes it more interesting for the audience, but it also helps us TRUST what we see. We see beyond the claims to be ‘this’ or ‘that’ – we understand the deeper motivation.

People often struggle to come up with a ‘back-story’, claiming that nothing particularly startling led them to do what they do. There was no eureka! moment, no sudden epiphany. But invariably there were things in their past that influenced them in some way, shaped their thinking or formed their character. This might be a parent, teacher or other role model; a TV programme, a movie or a book.

These memories may be buried but with a little reflection it’s possible to unearth some real insights into what made you you, effectively “joining the dots in reverse” as Steve Jobs once described it.

Whatever you’re selling, be it a business product or your labour, having a strong back-story makes you more memorable, credible and likeable. After all, your story is authentically, uniquely yours!

Andrew Thorp is co-founder of Mojo Your Business, a communications consultancy and training company. Andrew helps companies to develop their unique story and use it as a marketing tool and a way to engage and motivate employees. Twitter @andrewthorp @mojolifeuk.

Email: info@mojoyourbusiness.com