The Creation Myth

by Terry Gault

There is a special kind of story that organizations need to be able to tell.  In a way, it is the collective “Who We Are” story meaning that it spells out Who We Are and What We Stand For as an organization.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines 'myth' in this way:  A usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.  They list “parable” as a synonym.

So, a Creation Myth is also usually a teaching story that explains a practice or belief system.  It describes the central ethos that defines an organization or group.

The Henderson Group Creation Myth

It was 1990 and the high tech boom in the San Francisco bay area was just beginning.  David Henderson, our co-founder, had quit his practice as a litigating attorney because he was “soul sick.”  David had been very successful working as council to Ernest and Julio Gallo during their ascent to a dominant market share.  But he said, “I saw a lot of zeros moving from one bank account to another but didn’t see anyone getting any happier.”  David was looking for work with greater meaning.

The idea of teaching presentation skills seemed like a good fit.  He approached his friend Rand, who he’d worked with at Ernest and Julio Gallo.  Rand was now heading up Human Resources at a growing high tech company based in Belmont , CA.

Rand introduced David to the Director of Training and Development.  The meeting did not go well and the woman told Rand that she had no intention of hiring David.  Rand pulled rank.  He informed her, “Yes, we will” and out of respect for her autonomy, they’d give David one workshop and agreed that if the scores were not excellent, then she wouldn’t have to hire David again.

She grudgingly agreed to move forward and filled the workshop with friends and gave them instructions to put David to the test.

The morning of the first day of our presentation skills workshop is when the bulk of the didactic or formal instruction takes place.  It was a difficult morning for David.  The group was pushing David and calling him on every little mistake he made.

David called Linda, his wife, partner and co-founder of the company, at lunch in a state of near panic.  It was a disaster.  Linda managed to calm him enough to get him back to the classroom.

I once asked David, “Did you learn to be a good presenter as a lawyer?”  He replied, “Not at all.  I didn’t learn to be a good presenter until I started leading these workshops.”

“Really?” I queried, “So, how did you have success as a trainer?”  He replied, “One of the things I was very good at as a litigator was the ability to coach witnesses.”

David had an unusually powerful BS detector.  He’d grown up in a challenging home environment with a mother who struggled with psychological illness and an alcoholic father.  He’d learned to pay very close attention to the behavior of those around him in order to protect himself.

Having been coached by David for about 6 years, it’s clear to me that he must have been very good at coaching witnesses in their demeanor and delivery so they would be telling the story that his firm wanted to be told; the story that would support their case.

In the afternoon, the participants were required to give their presentations and get feedback from David.  This was where his experience as a lawyer truly shined.  They began to see David’s coaching as valuable.

By the end of the workshop, the afternoon of day 2, they gave David the highest marks of any workshop that had been held at the company.  The Director of Training and Development had to admit that the workshop was a success and hired David to come back again.  They eventually became friends and the workshop became the most highly rated in the history of the company.

What was the company?  Oracle.  The company went through phenomenal growth through the next decade and was our largest client, both in terms of size and the revenue they generated for 12 years.

Get our weekly updates here

photo by: John Carmichael