about the person.

There are always two stories you can tell -- one with names, and one without.
Check out the difference in what you feel about these two sentences from a tragic event that happened to day in New York City.

"Three members of two popular Iranian indie bands who were living and working in the United States were shot and killed in Brooklyn early Monday by a fellow rocker who then turned the gun on himself, police said."

And now this.

"The dead included Soroush Farazmand, 27, whose rock band the Yellow Dogs was featured in a 2009 CNN report about Iran's burgeoning underground rock scene. Farazmand's brother, Arash, 28, a drummer with the band the Free Keys, was also shot and killed at the same location as was a third Iranian musician, Ali Eskandarian, 35."

The human element is incredibly powerful in storytelling. We as humans have an innate desire to connect with other people. It's how we're created. The first paragraph is significantly more ambiguous, and we're noticeably more isolated from the horror because it's happening to nameless, faceless individuals.

Paragraph #2 hits the reader hard in the face, jarring our evening. With a name like Soroush we instantly pair the word with a foreign face, creating a person, an identity. Then in the second sentence the weight of what happened truly starts to hit home as the victim's brother is named.
I have a brother.
He has a name.
The third man is named.
The ages of all three are listed as well. These were people. We know people that either are or are close to those exact same ages.
And what was initially an news story about a tragedy starts to sink in far more than it did when we started reading.

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When telling your story, whether it's about your business, your family, funny or sad, a sales pitch or referral, use the human element. It's what we connect with. It brings what we're saying to life. The ambiguous takes shape, a name, face, and identity appear to your listener. Tell your story well. Make it not about merely people, but individuals.
If it's a product or a mission statement, who is involved, what are their names and what do they look like? What did that product or idea do for a person specifically? Which person?

wooden puzzle.

If you walk into most Barnes & Noble bookstores, you'll find a section along the side by the magazines where they sell games. There are maps, Lego sets, role playing and board games, and an entire section dedicated to puzzles of all shapes and sizes. Some claim to be ancient from the ends of the earth, promising entertainment that has stumped generations.

My particular favorites are the interlocking three-dimensional objects that come apart or fit together by one means only. There are very few rules to these, each one is entirely unique in construction. They are made up of wood, metal, plastic... anything the creators felt would best suit to frustrate and bend your mind.

At work, each individual brings their own background, experiences, emotions, relational abilities and goals to the table. The challenge never gets easier. Our job as managers and leaders is to find out what motivates those we work alongside.

The only way to truly unlock those carefully guarded sections of each human's chemistry is to listen, ask the right questions, and watch to see what those around us respond the best to, then find ways to replicate that in the workplace. 

There is a time to assign tasks, bark orders, and make a list of "you will accomplish by". But that comes easy for many people who are good at their jobs.

What isn't so easy is remembering that everyone in the room isn't the same Rubik's cube with an algorithm of left and right wrist twists to win the game.

No, there isn't a single "How To" book that tells you how to solve each two and three-dimensional puzzle in the world. But there is usually a set of hints in the instruction booklet you get with each one. That's what we as leaders and managers need to be listening to, looking out for, and reading in each person we work with.

We just need to take the time and make sure that happens.