From little things big things grow
I was writing a paper today describing our story-based approach to change and remembered Paul Kelly’s song, From Little Things Big Things Grow. I’d never read the lyrics before and found they sent a shiver up my spine. Paul tells the story of Lord Vestey (owner of a large cattle station) and Vincent Lingiarri (aboriginal leader) and the 8 year strike by Gurindji people for better conditions and for the return of their land.
There are some lines in the song particularly relevant to change management
Vestey man said I’ll double your wages
Seven quid a week you’ll have in your hand
Vincent said uhuh we’re not talking about wages
We’re sitting right here till we get our land
and this one
How power and privilege can not move a people
Shawn, author of Putting Stories to Work, is one of the world's leading business storytelling consultants. He helps executive teams find and tell the story of their strategy. When he is not working on strategy communication, Shawn is helping leaders find and tell business stories to engage, to influence and to inspire. Shawn works with Global 1000 companies including Shell, IBM, SAP, Bayer, Microsoft & Danone. Connect with Shawn on: