In the 1990’s, financier Michael Milken, diagnosed with prostate cancer, fought back with hormone therapy, radiation, diet change and alternative therapies, which changed the trajectory of his disease. His remission sent him on a mission, he told Peter Guber, “to keep men in the game.”
Prostate cancer had no story, so he’d tell his own story in his own voice, encouraging men to get regularly tested and pass this call to action through their own stories to “keep dad in the game.” He chose as his ideal context the game of baseball. Baseball is all about stories. The park and the game create a stage, and there’s space between innings to tell and listen to stories, to absorb a call to action. And not only are the fans largely male, but so is virtually everyone on the field and in the clubhouse.
“Our idea was to culminate the event on Father’s Day. Starting on June 1st through Father’s Day, I’d travel around the country with former Hall of Famers visiting major league ballparks every day. The month that the most numbers of men get checked for their PSA is the month of June – the month of Father’s Day.
For fifteen years – and counting – Milken and his audience have been generously telling their story forward, and the impact on the fight against prostate cancer is staggering. The number of men dying from prostate cancer has dropped to half of what had been projected.
MORE ABOUT TELL TO WIN
To validate the power of telling purposeful stories, Guber includes in this book a remarkably diverse number of ‘voices’ – master tellers with whom he’s shared experiences. They include YouTube founder Chad Hurley, NBA champion Pat Riley, clothing designer Norma Kamali, “Mission to Mars” scientist Gentry Lee, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, former South African president Nelson Mandela, magician David Copperfield, film director Steven Spielberg, novelist Nora Roberts, rock legend Gene Simmons, and physician and author Deepak Chopra.
After listening to this extraordinary mix of voices, you’ll know how to craft, deliver – and own – a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.
