E27: Deepak Jayaraman - Playing to your (Storytelling) Potential

“…while Ikigai was useful, I felt at a granular level, it did not take into account the balance sheet elements of life (health, family), it did not take into account transitions. So, I said, let me try and put something out which takes into account some of the other richness and the complexities of life.”

Welcome to the Story Rules podcast with me, Ravishankar Iyer, where we learn from some of the best storytellers in the world, find their story and unearth the secrets of their craft.

Today we speak with Deepak Jayaraman, India’s foremost expert on the topic of maximising your true potential as a leader and a human being. Deepak is the force behind the popular ‘Play to Potential’ podcast, wherein he has conducted over one hundred interviews with global luminaries such as Vishwanathan Anand, Ramachandra Guha, Daniel Pink and Stephen Covey.

Late last year, Deepak released his first book, also called Play to Potential - and it is a fascinating read. It is not just a compendium of interviews or themes – the book features some powerful original thinking by Deepak on how to approach the challenging problem of finding and journeying towards your true north as a human being. 

Normally, when we speak of finding your purpose, the Japanese notion of Ikigai comes to mind. But in this book Deepak shares a breakthrough new framework called ‘FLAVOUR’ – which is a more nuanced and wholesome approach to finding your purpose and direction, as compared to Ikigai.

Having said that, in this conversation, my focus is not so much on the book’s contents, as it is about Deepak’s storytelling skills and approach. We discuss topics such as:

- How Deepak would figure out the right source material for his ideas

- His use of the Rule of three, to distil complex insights into pithy, short structures

- Deepak’s varied and stellar use of analogies to explain abstract and difficult concepts in a relatable and easy-to-remember manner. Thinking in metaphors seems to be Deepak’s natural spike as a storyteller, and I would urge you to buy the book, just to enjoy the rich analogies that he uses

- The use of vivid personal anecdotes and evocative quotes

- We also talk about the source of his unending curiosity and drive to share insights on his podcast and other platforms.

In short, in this conversation, you get a bunch of life and career advice, AND you also learn a bunch of storytelling techniques. I’m sure you’ll find it of significant value. 

Let’s dive in.

Show notes:

Play to Potential book on Amazon

Deepak's website and LinkedIn page.