Organizational Narrative: Lucky Iron Fish

Lucky Iron Fish is a certified B Corp working to improve health around the world, starting in Cambodia. They’ve made a short video, with the help of Google, to tell their organization’s origin story. The video is a great two-minute organizational narrative example that uses the five parts of Joseph Campbell’s mythological story form to tell an compelling story:

• Disharmony – People in Cambodia, and elsewhere in the world, are lethargic, stunted and mentally foggy. They are victims of the villain Anemia, a shortage of iron in the diet.
• Invitation to adventure – A doctor discovers that cooking in cast iron pots transfers iron into the diet. He wonders if that can be used to fight anemia in Cambodia.
• Quest, monsters and helpers – The doctor searches for a way to introduce cast iron into Cambodian cooking. During the search he encounters the monster of inconvenience – cast iron pots are heavy for Cambodian women to carry. He responds by making a cast iron block that women can drop into their existing cooking pots. Here, he meets the monster of indifference – the iron block is ugly and uninspiring. He finds a helper in Google (this video is partially a Google promotion, after all).
• Theft of the magic elixir – With the help of Google, the doctor discovers the magic elixir: casting the iron in the shape of a lucky fish, to tap into the culture and beliefs of Cambodia. Families now readily use the Lucky Iron Fish in their cooking.
• Harmony restored – Anemia is now virtually gone in the test areas. People are clear-headed, healthy and energetic.

Lucky Iron Fish has another short video showcasing their marketing, which touches on many aspects discussed in the business solution to poverty: design, manufacturing, distribution, promotion, scale, research.

Any small enterprise, not just those in the social and public, can learn from following the organizational narrative example of Lucky Iron Fish.

Anemia is a problem worldwide. If you struggle with iron deficiency, order yourself a fish today.

(If you’re interested in learning more about organizational storytelling, download my free e-book.)

Do you need help in developing and applying your organizational narrative? Check out my fixed-rate services.