Create Your Authentic Story

Anita Brick: Hi, this is Anita Brick. And welcome to CareerCast at Chicago Booth to help you advance in your career. Today we are super delighted to be speaking with Kelly Parker. She empowers leaders to turn followers into devoted fans with the power of storytelling. A marketing professional trained at global enterprises like Sherwin-Williams and American Greetings. Kelly believes that a simple, well-told story can raise profits, reshape culture, and revive a brand's reputation.

She hosts the“Business Storytelling Made Easy” podcast, where she interviews renowned experts and industry leaders and teaches listeners the easy way to create and convey unforgettable stories. Well, we are all about creating unforgettable stories. Kelly. Thank you. You know, you really are a superstar in this area, and we're very honored that you are taking time with us today.

Kelly Parker: Thank you indeed. I'm so glad to be here. Thanks for having me.

Anita Brick: Of course, there are a lot of pieces to consider when we're building stories. One person said it really well because many people struggle with, oh my gosh, where do I start? The first question is from an MBA student. And he said, I've been told more than once that how a person starts their story shapes the whole interaction. And now my story is about making a pivot from one career to another. Given this, how do you advise someone to choose the best place to start?

Kelly Parker: I think that's a really interesting question. So I think a couple of things with that. First thing, something that's really important with storytelling as a whole is to make sure that everything you're saying is really cohesive, and it leads to a point that makes sense that everybody can easily follow. So when we're looking to make a pivot, we have to connect those dots between where we might have started in our career and where we are right now. And the way to connect those dots is through those transferable skills. So even though I might have not work in a particular industry in the past, what are the specific ways that those experiences relate to what I want to do now or the issue at hand?

Especially if you're thinking about a pivot, you want to make sure to frame up that story that really highlights those strengths and experiences that you've had that relate to the issue at hand. It's all about thinking. The audience that I'm talking to, and what is it that they would most like to hear from me that would get me what I want?

Anita Brick: Okay, so let's use an example because there was an alum who said he is struggling: I'm a former Wall Street executive with more than 20 years of functional and leadership experience, with a focus in the tech sector, I took a detour into the down level job in public utilities doing FBA work, but I'm looking to pivot back into financial leadership in technology. I'm really not getting anywhere with my story. How would you suggest someone like me craft a story that highlights my strengths and transferable skills, and bridges both real and perceived gaps? I just think I'm not connecting with the hiring manager, and they're seeing gaps that I just don't see. That's a tough one, Kelly, but let's see if we can tackle it for him.

Kelly Parker: The first thing that comes to mind for me is remember to make no apologies for your past. And by that I mean it's okay that you had a career in one area and then you went into another area. And I think it's all about the way that we frame up in the way that we position our experiences. I just heard you say a detour into a down level role. I would love it if we could position that in a different way. Meaning I gathered experiences in a different industry. They are A, B, and C, which really have positioned me to have fresh eyes coming back into the tech industry, and I'm able to deliver A, B and C.

During that time that I was working in that other industry, I was still staying very much current on tech issues and this is how I was doing that, etc., etc.. I think one part of it is really seeing what maybe some people might think is a weakness, but how can you position it and articulate it as a strength? How can you talk about how you're more creative and innovative, because you're able to leverage strengths from that area over here and bring it over here. There's something to be said for taking ownership of the elephant in the room, right? Everybody's going to be kind of questioning, okay, how do we connect this? Well, take the bull by the horns and let them know I'm more seasoned in these different areas. And this is how it makes sense. I'm more innovative, I'm more creative or whatever those things are that you can highlight and not expect them to  fill in the blanks for you.

Anita Brick: I love that. And so what you're saying is that down going into a public utility, that seemed to be a step back. Don't view it that way. Do it as a way to enrich and really broaden what you bring now. So it was actually a good thing. And it could be that if you position it as mayor, you know, this was I had to do this for this reason or that reason. You're going to lose some right away.

Kelly Parker: Absolutely. Even your tone of voice when you're saying it, if you think in your brain it was a downgraded detour. It's going to come across that way. But if you're able to bring it forth is wow, this really enhanced and enriched me as a professional. It hits a certain way. Will probably be helpful.

Anita Brick: I like that. Well, here's a related story from another Boothie. And she said, my career story is not very linear. When I explain myself, I fumble and feel embarrassed. Have you seen others tell a less than stellar career journey and really present myself well.

Kelly Parker: Yeah. If I had to approach it that way, I would think less about linear meaning. You know, in 2010, I did this, in 2011, I did that. If you take a step back and you think about what are my top three skills or expertise areas that I really want to articulate relative to this interaction and create a story around that could be skill set one is I'm very analytical, and then you're able to back that up with an anecdote that shows a specific experience that you have in that area, and then follow up with maybe your second area and approach it that way so that you're pointing to what you want people to see, which is that you have a variety of things to bring to the table as it relates to the opportunity that you're considering.

And then I'd say to, you know, be prepared to discuss maybe some of those gaps in your resume, etc., but leading with what you want people to see and know about you, even if it's not quote unquote “linear”.

Anita Brick: Well, it's a very good point. You can have two people who have the same set of facts about their career. One person, hey, I went on this adventure. I know that may not sound business like, but I went on this adventure. I did different things and they came together. In fact, I was chatting with an alumni a couple of weeks ago, and she told me she made a decision to do things her way. Yeah, people are like, can't do that. It doesn't pay off. And she did. Today she's CEO of a company. She sits on corporate boards. Her story was one where she was the protagonist rather than what? Why? I made these decisions. I did it my way. Didn't really work out. She projects herself so well. How do you get that level of confidence when you're not really confident?

Kelly Parker: The way that I would word it is, is you have to do the work. You have to do the work of believing the story deep down before you can tell it. Once you have decided that I'm okay with my path, I'm okay that I've had a maybe an untraditional way of learning certain lessons, then you're ready to step up and own it. I think that's part of it.

I think the other part is realizing, I don't know if anybody in this world has perfect confidence, but sometimes you act your way into it. Think about body language when we're saying certain things. So sometimes I know how to speak. For me personally, I might not be feeling the most confident, but I'm smiling. I'm making contact, eye contact. What I'm saying is the best stuff out here. We see that people respond to you differently when you show up differently, even if you're not, like all the way the most confident person in the world. Going back to that mindset work, maybe I've had some detours along the way, but I am proud of what I have accomplished and I own it.

Anita Brick: I love it, that's really good.These things that are different, that could be an embarrassment, could also be a differentiator or and really bring forth your story authentically and in a memorable way, right?

Kelly Parker: Yeah I agree. So in my career journey I have a five year quote unquote “gap” for I was out of professional corporate world. So in 20 2016, I left full time work and I was supporting my husband with our church. So he's a lead pastor of our church. I didn't imagine that five years later I would be still doing it right. So when it came to around 2020 and I'm trying to reenter the workforce, I certainly at first didn't feel that, oh, I have so much to go apologize for and explain or what am I going to do?

And I had a mentor friend of mine who really encouraged me, like, now wait a minute now, you had some things that you were doing during that time that make sense for where you want to go. So let's articulate that. Like let's put that out there. And a lot of the things that you've been doing, you can speak to how it relates to where you want to go.

Again, to your point about being authentic. Like, we can't be afraid to bring our full self to whatever we're doing. And here's the thing. Everybody's not going to see the vision. Everybody's not going to see the value. And that's okay. Because guess what? You don't want those opportunities anyway, right? And the reality is we don't need everybody to say yes. We only need those things in those opportunities that are for us. And I don't know about you, but I want to be in a space that welcomes me fully, where I can feel comfortable being who I am. It's high time to be okay with whatever your journey has look like.

Anita Brick: Agreed. So there were a couple questions about: I'm really prepared. I snapped everything out and yet it doesn't really come across well. And in the moment I fumbled. So let's talk about that. I really want to help them. It can be kind of scary to share your tell me about yourself story. So here's a student and he said, I know I have a lot to offer potential employers, and I even write down what I really want to say. Yet in the moment I become garbled and I lose the listener. How do you advise others help, by the way, Kelly? Thanks.

Kelly Parker: Hear my thoughts on that. So I think I heard I even write it down so I know what I'm talking about. And I memorized, my question would be you've written it, but have you spoken it aloud before it's show time. It's go time. I think there's something special about hearing ourselves say the word that prepares us in a different way than writing. That will be one thing.

The second thing would be, I really discourage people from memorizing things word for word. Unless you're somebody that's just very conversational and just knows how to master the moment in that way, because it can come off robotic and it can come off like what it is you're memorizing and reading what you wrote.

I would suggest one about writing down or memorizing your talking points, those main ideas, those main phrases that you want to get across so that you're striking a balance between being prepared so you don't have to feel like I'm shooting from the hip, but also I can be conversational within that. I understand that I'm also telling you you're going to have to trust yourself a little bit. You are an expert on you and then might not feel like it, but you do actually know how to talk intelligently about you. I think it can help create a little bit more connection.

I think the other thing to keep in mind when I hear people say, you're losing me or I've lost my audience, I think about two things. The first thing could be that it's too long, it's not concise enough, and so people are kind of losing interest a little bit. And it could be that there's a lack of clarity, meaning in all that you're saying. It's unclear to the listener what is the connection between what you're saying and the position that I might be looking to feel, or if there's a disconnect there within the content itself.

Anita Brick: That's good. And you must be reading the mind of the MBA student who asked this question. She said, the bridge from my current career to where I am pivoting is not so obvious. What are a few things you would do to make connecting the dots easier for the listener?

Kelly Parker: Yeah, reminds me of a friend of mine. Her background initially was in engineering. She studied engineering in college and then launched into an engineering career. And then she decided, I don't want to do that. I want to work in marketing. And she shares about how she had become very intentional about articulating everything that I learned as an engineer is going to be helpful for me here. You're going to have to be able to talk that out. Specifically, explain what are the areas that you've had expertise in in the past, and how is that going to translate here? But I also think, too, though, you have to know that the answer to that question is not going to always be the same thing. It really needs to be tailored to the position or the opportunity that you are looking into.

Another thing to think about is research. If you are maybe looking for a job or interviewing at Delta Airlines, it might be different how you're going to explain yourself. If you're going to potentially be interviewing at Google. What can I learn about initiatives or strategies or goals that the company has on the table? How can I use those things to begin to explain clearly? This is how my experience translates right here, right now and this role right here, right now.

Anita Brick: And I like this story about owning who we are, understanding what the audience needs and finding the connection points. Practice is important. It can be risky. And an alum asked the question. He said, how do I test my story without taking on risk that could derail my networking conversation.

Kelly Parker: Yeah, I think you have to begin to build a network of folks that are willing to help you in terms of listening to the story and giving feedback, who are those people that can help you practice, feel like LinkedIn is an underutilized resource sometimes in terms of people that might be willing to help us if we're just trying to learn something, if we position ourselves as students or, hey, I'm just trying to get better in this, in that area. Can we chat for a bit about X, Y, Z? There's something to be said about reaching out to people and just being clear like, hey, I'm trying to get better in this area. I would love and really value your feedback. People respond more to vulnerability than we would imagine.

Anita Brick: Do you think that that would also apply to someone who is not in school, someone who has graduated and maybe has quite a bit of experience as well?

Kelly Parker: I think it just depends on what type of context you're reaching out to. But I also find, though, especially if you do have some work experience that we have set to gold mines and the networks that we already have, and people that, you know, that you forgot that you knew or, you know, resources that you might have engaged in the past, and it might be a great way to reconnect with them again, to kind of let them know what you're doing, which is always great. It's always got to be story plus building quality relations, ships. I think those two things are really what propelled our careers anywhere in or out of school. It could be a really valuable way to put ourselves out there in the way. That'll be helpful.

Anita Brick: Kelly, one of the students, wanted to know, as you build your own story, if someone is saying, Kelly, tell me about yourself at an event or some interaction and the person is new, how do you capture their attention and keep it?

Kelly Parker: You know, there's a number of different types of interactions. So like let's say, for instance, it's more of a networking situation. It's not an interview. Let's use that as an example. I think one of the things we miss, we are quick to think that it's our talking and our articulation in that the main event, and a lot of times we miss the opportunities to ask good questions that then help us shape how we want to respond to questions.

So I would say that first, whatever opportunity we have to make an interaction conversational, be sure to take advantage of those. But outside of that, the way to keep a person's attention, I think, is to be concise, but also give them a little bit of wonder. If you're at a networking event or something like that. And I say, my name is Kelly and I'm a professional storyteller. So someone might wonder, well, what does that mean? Or what do you mean by that? That's just like an example of something that you might just throw out there that's pretty short and sweet, but hopefully will engage the person to ask you a question back and create like a two way communication.

Anita Brick: A good point. I remember being at an event and someone said, well, what do you do? It was very provocative. I help people with the thing that scares them the most. And you're like, I wonder what he did. And of course you wonder what he did. Hey, you don't always have to be that provocative. I think you laid it out in maybe a gentler way, but he helped people with in-person presentations and that was his way to engage. Having a question that leaves something open where they want to follow along, where you're creating the dialog is important. At what point in a story would you interject a micro example? One of the MBA students said, I've heard that it's good to Interject one example of what I can bring in my “tell me about yourself” story. How do you recommend keeping it short and yet meaningful?

Kelly Parker: By a great example. So it could sound something like: one of the things that I'm really passionate about is data analytics. Several years ago, I had the privilege of working ABC company as an analyst. It was really rewarding to grow from being a novice to now having expert level skills in ABC software. I kind of think of it as talking about a key skill set and then talking about kind of an example of how that came to life.

Bonus point if you're able to position it as maybe a challenge that you've overcome and offering some like concrete results that you have garnered for the company or organization.

Anita Brick: You don't want it to be overburdened with detail, but enough detail to make it lively.

Kelly Parker: Yeah, and I think to your point about lively, good stories are lively. And I think one thing that makes stories lively is conflict or drama. And again, you don't want to go on and on and belabor the point, but any time you're able to play up like a challenge that you overcame or some kind of way, your back was against the wall, or you were confused or, you know, whatever the case is, those types of stories, they tend to draw an interest.

Anita Brick: I totally agree, because I think that even the people want to see us succeed. They kind of want to know that it wasn't easy.

Kelly Parker: Right. And that you know how to get through things that weren't easy.

Anita Brick: Absolutely. Because I guess in any time. But in today's world, if you've never been challenged, you're unproven. Okay. This question is probably representative of many people's questions. And this was actually a friend of CareerCast. I think it applies to students. I think it applies to alumni. He said. Hi Kelly, I am not very good at bragging, and that's how it feels when I tell people about myself. From my education to my career successes. I know it's a family thing. We just don't do that in our family. Any suggestions on getting past this obstacle because it's hurting me in my career growth.

Kelly Parker: That's such a good question. I would suggest that perhaps if you shift from thinking of it as bragging and more so this is how I serve. I serve with my expertise and my abilities and all the results I've gotten from my success. This is how I serve others is how I serve the world. Also, telling those stories. It might help you mentally get out of the bucket of feeling like I'm bragging. For instance, if I say I'm the best business person out here, I'm, you know, those things of that nature. But if you're able to give others specific examples of something that you've done, and those results that you have garnered is really more about just introducing yourself and letting people know who you are.

I think we have to own all of our shortcomings, but we also have to fully own the things that we've succeeded in as well. Again, hopefully going back to the idea of service and this is how I'm going to help others, perhaps that would kind of help.

Anita Brick: I like that point. I remember once someone who's an engineer moving into a strategy consulting career, and he felt the same way. And I asked him, I said, do you like being accurate? And he looked at me like, well, yeah, of course I want to be accurate. I said, well, to me it feels like if you're hiding or not sharing your strengths and your talents and skills and all of those wonderful things about you, it's not accurate. And he looked at me like, what?

And then he thought, actually, no, you're right. And I think sometimes that's how I will ask people about it, because people do want to create a complete picture. Like you said, if you don't share all of you, if you don't share that upside and what you've accomplished, you know, whoever they are, the hiring manager or H.R. You're not helping them, giving them the information to make a really good decision.

It almost seems like I mean, maybe don't test this whole idea out where it is. Your dream job, dream company, everything is riding on it. Like take some baby steps in the service part. I love that. That's good. Kelly, would you time for one more question? You've given us a lot to think about. We've talked about owning who you are, meaning bringing forward your strengths, showing how you've overcome challenges, and perhaps even being a bit vulnerable to create that connection authentically.

I like to boil things down and give people some takeaways. What are the top three things that you would advise someone to do? Who wants to develop and share a career story that is true to themselves, can help them get the jobs that they want, and convey a powerful message.

Kelly Parker: The first thing that comes to mind is, I think we all have to sit with the question, what do you want to be known for? This is helpful, especially if you're in a pivot or you're just really trying to navigate your next steps. What is that thing? When people think about me, I want them to immediately associate with me.

Then once we have that, what are the specific examples or scenarios that we want to bring to light that clearly illustrate those things about ourselves? I think that's one thing. I think a good story is about clarity, clarity of what we want to be known for and what we're looking for.

I think the other thing I would suggest is going back to good stories are about our audience. When we think about career, it is so easy, really anything we want. Honestly, it's so easy to get caught up in what we want and how we want it and how fast can I get it.

But the key to storytelling is where's the intersection between that? And you know what's going on with my audience? What do they want? I call it their problem and their pursuit. How intimately do you understand the struggles that your audience is having and the things that they really, really want? And the more that you can understand those and take those to heart and then be able to translate your gifts and your skill set in those terms you store will be more than captivating. It will be like spellbinding, like you have them in a train.

The other thing I would think about when it comes to the story is, again, coming up with these very specific and concrete scenarios. And I have so many details that we don't even know what you're talking about anymore, but just enough for people to grab hold. I'll give you an example. I worked as a product manager for a company called TTI Floor Care, and we managed quite a lot of care brands such as Hoover. I was so excited to get this job. And I remember on one of my first days on the job, I was talking with a coworker who had been doing some of my, you know, responsibilities since the role was open for a while. She was from France, and she looked at me and she said, you have not been given a gift. And I was like, what are you talking about? Everything was in a mess. If it could be in a mess, it was in a mess. I had to figure out what I was going to do. So I basically organized the category and figured out how to streamline some of our processes.

But again, like I could tell you, I've been a product manager or I could give you a specific scenario about what that meant and what I overcame and what were the result, etc., etc. again, master, giving those quick examples that really put color on what you did, but also who you are and how you think about it.

Anita Brick: I love it. Anything else?

Kelly Parker: We didn't talk a whole lot about the emotional part of story. Another common question that we get, you know, in interviews and all this stuff is tell me about a time where you solved the problem or tell me about a time when you really showed your strengths. And I think sometimes those are opportunities to infuse emotion. For instance, think about a time when you were really challenged by doing something, a time when you felt overwhelmed or you felt super nervous or whatever. Those are emotions that we all feel. When did you feel that? And maybe talk about it? So even if you don't say, I was nervous, even in telling that scenario, it's going to be obvious that you were nervous or overwhelmed or whatnot. Being able to talk through how you overcame that situation sometimes is a way to create an emotional connection.

Just because we've all felt that way and we've all had to overcome those types of situations. So something to think about had to bring in the emotional element to.

Anita Brick: The emotional element is super important because otherwise it's a pile of facts, right? And a pile of facts. You and I both know you're amazing. I have my own strengths and greatness as well. We all do, you and I. If we look at your facts, my facts is somebody out there has better facts. However, it's very rare that the person with the best facts wins. It's the person that does exactly what you said: they infuse those facts with emotional content appropriately, right? Appropriately emotional content that then it brings it forward. And if we just state the facts and hope people are going to fill it in, it doesn't work.

So I'm really glad you brought that up again. You can experiment in low risk places if you leave the emotional component out and the story is going to fall flat.

Kelly Parker: I agree we'll be pleasantly surprised when we do take these calculated risks to talk a little bit more about emotion, because you'll find it's universal. We've all had times when we felt the feelings, so it can really be a way to create connection.

Anita Brick: I agree, it's one of those things that we all experience. Any final words of wisdom for now?

Kelly Parker:I would just say, tell your stories, tell more stories and practice your stories and whatever they look like and sound like. Own them and know that whether you are bringing ten years of experience from another industry or one year of experience in this industry, or whatever it is, that no one brings the same thing quite like you.

We can find power and strength in that. And I say, own it.

Anita Brick: Brilliant way to end things. Thank you so much, Kelly. This was great. Stories are probably one of the most important things that we do in our lives across dimensions and also for many people, rather elusive. So thank you for creating clarity and giving us some practical, actionable things to do. Clearly you love this. Clearly you bring your heart and your expertise, and I think that all storytellers need to do that, even if we're not a storyteller as our profession, we all need to be good storytellers. So thank you for guiding us.

Kelly Parker: Thank you so much for having me. This was fun.

Anita Brick: Well, I'm glad. That’s how it should be. Again, thanks, Kelly. And thank you all for listening. This is Anita Brick with CareerCast at Chicago Booth. Keep advancing.