According to Emma Coats, a former storyboard artist at Pixar, the company had very specific rules on how to write compelling storylines for their movies. Seeing as Pixar has been behind several blockbuster movies such as the Toy Story series, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, and Up, there is much to be learned from their formula for excelling, and their understanding of human behaviour.
My favourite Pixar story rule goes like this:
Once upon a time there was —-. Every day —-. One day —-. Because of that —-. Because of that —-. Until finally —-. THE END
Since I became aware of this story rule, I have recognised the rule in several movies and stories.
In my experience, I have found that stories resonate well with people. Somehow, stories draw us in, making it easy for us to insert ourselves into the story, as we see ourselves interacting with the characters.
Now, I am not sure the exact origin of this story, but I remember it vividly. I would have been about 8 years old when my mum told me the story. For the first time ever, I have shoe-horned the story to fit in with my favourite Pixar story rule mentioned just earlier. Here goes.
Once upon a time, there was a man who had a son and a donkey. Every day, the man and his son would use the donkey as their means of transportation. One day, someone saw them riding the donkey together, and chastised them, saying, “why are you both punishing this poor donkey by burdening it with your combined weight?” Because of that, the man changed things around and rode the donkey while his son walked alongside.
Someone saw this, and chastised him, saying, “why are you so selfish, riding comfortably on the donkey, while your son labours and walks beside you?”
Because of that, the man, again, changed things around and let his son ride the donkey while he walked alongside.
Someone saw this, and chastised the son, saying, “you are still quite young and energetic, why are you riding comfortably on the donkey, while your old and frail dad labours and walks beside you?” Because of that, the man, despairingly, changed things around yet again so he and his son walked on either side of the donkey.
Someone saw this, and ridiculed them saying, “you have an animal that is commonly used for carrying loads, an animal that is called a beast of burden because they usually carry loads, why are you both walking beside it while it walks unburdened?”
Until finally, the man realised that you can’t please everyone, and decided to do what he thought was best for himself, his son and their donkey.
THE END.
What would you have done in this situation?
The moral of the story is that, no matter what you do, there will always be some people who criticise and chastise you. Great leaders who excel learn to trust the strength of their convictions, rather than being swayed by the ‘voices’ around them. However, that is not a license to be obstinate and inflexible, but suggests you choose your advisers wisely, and have the strength of character to see your vision and initiatives through.
By Dayo Sowunmi II 
GAICD, M.Comp (Monash)
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