The Power of Storytelling behind the scenes

Is storytelling always about the stage? The spotlight? The front cover?

Or are there times when storytelling behind the scenes might actually get you further?

When a Book Changed My View of My Dad

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 13, 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱…
until my dad casually flipped open a book and blew us all away.

We were visiting an important man in India.
The conversation went over my head — until my father spotted a book on the man’s shelf.
He pulled it down. Opened it to the acknowledgments.
And t𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲.

I was impressed.
As was the man we were visiting.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿.
Someone 𝘩𝘦 had learned from —
and this thought leader was 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘥.

I wanted to tell stories from the stage and in books.

That moment stuck with me.
It helped me understand:
Being an author — and being associated with successful authors — can be a game changer.

𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 21.
I was a full-time author and speaker.
But I’d never been mentioned in the acknowledgments…

Storytelling behind the Scenes: A New Kind of Reward

Until now.
In the last six months, two authors handed me books…
and I was stunned to see my name in print.

Check out “10 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩” by this handsome gentleman, investor extraordinaire of regular CNBC fame, Tariq Dennison TEP.

Flip to the back and this is what you’ll find:

Yes, it’s rewarding to see your name on the front cover.
But it’s a different kind of rewarding to find it in the back pages of someone else’s!

Check out Tariq’s new book 10 Ways to Invest: Contrasting Investment Ideologies in Practice: Dennison, Tariq: 9789819750306: Amazon.com: Books

… and also his earlier book, Invest Outside the Box: Understanding Different Asset Classes and Strategies.

You Don’t Need to Be on the Cover to Leave a Legacy

Here’s the truth:
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁.

The power of relationships, of exchanging ideas with people of substance —
that’s where the real legacy lies.

Where do you need to tell stories from the stage?

Where don’t you?

This is the quiet power of storytelling behind the scenes.

We often think of influence as being about visibility — stage time, social media presence, book sales.
But the truth is, many of the people who shape history, culture, and character do so from the wings, not the spotlight.

Sometimes, you just need to show up.
To offer ideas.
To challenge, encourage, teach — and sometimes, just to listen.

Let’s talk.

How do you know when to tell stories in print? Versus when oral stories will get you operational excellence?

Curious about how storytelling can elevate your leadership, training, or brand?
Let’s connect — I help organizations and individuals harness story to build influence, clarity, and momentum.

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Jyoti Guptara is a bestselling author, keynote speaker and story strategist. His Story-based consulting and training programs help leaders successfully implement strategy so they and their teams can experience more success with less stress.