Dr. No – Why General Counsels Should Steal a Page from Spielberg’s Playbook

"The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller." – Steve Jobs

Let’s Set the Scene:
Picture this: You walk into the meeting room. Eyes dart to you, expecting legal advice (yawn), but you deliver something else entirely—a gripping narrative that shifts perspectives, rallies support, and positions your team as indispensable business partners. Sounds impossible? It’s not.

Cue Matthew Dicks’ Storyworthy. Matthew is known by many as the best storyteller in the world. And his book will teach you how to make storytelling your secret weapon in transforming your department from a “cost center” to a trusted, value-creating ally. Why? Because data is dull, but stories? Stories are unforgettable. Here’s the download:

Takeaways for GCs from Storyworthy

The “5-Second” Rule
Great stories don’t need to be epics—they need a moment. The smallest, most specific incident that changes your perspective will do. Think of it like finding the perfect plot twist in a thriller—compact, but packed with meaning.

Example: Forget that annual report. Instead, tell the story of the deal you salvaged at the last minute—your team’s quick thinking saved millions. Now that’s drama!

Homework for Life
Matthew Dicks suggests writing down one moment every day that’s surprising, funny, or meaningful. It’s like building your own personal collection of story grenades—ready to detonate in any boardroom.

GC Use Case: Want to win over the board? Pick moments from your everyday legal battles that show how your team solves real problems. The surprise element? It’s more relatable than your standard bullet points.

Story Spine
Every good story follows a pattern: "Once upon a time… And then one day… Because of that… Until finally…" The great thing? It works for budgets, too. Your budget pitch can be a hero’s journey: the cost struggles, the solution, the happy ending.

The “Crash and Burn” Opener
Start with a failure. A mistake. A big "oops." The suspense builds, and everyone wants to know how you pulled yourself out of the fire. It’s like the best TV show cliffhanger.

GC Twist: Frame your department’s early disasters—missed deadlines, compliance chaos—and how you became the department that saves the day.

Interesting Storytelling Techniques

• The Backpack: Every story needs a “backpack” filled with emotional weight. In your legal team, that might be the pressure of deadlines, client demands, or the looming threat of compliance nightmares. How do you carry it? And who helps you carry it?

• The Elephant: The thing everyone is thinking about but no one wants to mention. In your next meeting, it could be the increasing legal costs that no one dares address—until you do.

• The Hourglass: Start with something broad and then narrow down to one specific moment. It’s like giving a preview, then zooming in on the details. Think big-picture strategy that leads to a focused solution.

• The Crystal Ball: This one’s about looking ahead, forecasting what could happen if your team doesn’t get the support it needs. Predict doom or, better yet, the bright future of proactive legal teams. Make it intriguing, make it relatable.

Supercharge Your Stories with AI

• RivalSense: An AI platform that connects to 80+ sources to monitor companies for you and create weekly email updates about them.

• fwd2cal: Forget about the tedious task of manual scheduling. With fwd2cal, just forward any meeting email, and AI takes care of your calendar. It’s like having your own high-end assistant who never gets a coffee break.

A Final Question For You:

Habits need to be revised from time to time. Which habits have become more important in 2024 and you need to double down on 2025? Which habits are no longer serving you and need to be replaced on 2025?

At Ámbar, we’re not just lawyers. We’re your storytellers, allies, and the gateway that connects a global network of top-tier legal talent with leading global companies.

Let’s talk—contact us here:

https://ambarpartners.zohobookings.eu/#/ambarpartnersnuevo

That’s all for this week! Hope this inspired you to sharpen your leadership edge.

Best,

R & M