By David Pullan and Sarah Jane McKechnie
In today’s data-driven landscape, storytelling stands as the spark for organisational success. Business schools teach it, and research validates it. But many leaders fail to capitalise on this primal human technology. This article looks at the storytelling paradox and gives actionable techniques that will turn narrative theory into powerful practice.
The Primal Power of Narrative
In a world where leaders are swamped with KPIs, AI uncertainty and data analytics there is a simple analogue skill that separates the exceptional from the also ran.
The ancient art of storytelling has been with us since we sat around the campfire and rose up the food chain to dominate as a species. So why isn’t this distinctly human superpower more valued by today’s leaders?
The Storytelling Wisdom Paradox
A brief web search of European Business Schools shows that storytelling is seen as a core leadership competency.
Some institutions make it a central part of their curriculum while others have it hard wired into their philosophy.
And academic literature is awash with books and articles that expound the value of this evolutionary tool that has allowed us to form large collaborative groups and become the pre-eminent species of mammals.
Yuval Noah Harari says it is the single trait that allowed us to conquer the world. Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss at Harvard talk about its ‘remarkable ability to connect people and inspire them to take action.’ While Robert Shiller, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, says that narrative is such a powerful tool that it has driven major economic events and created the conditions for ideas to go viral.
But, despite all this evidence, relatively few leaders make conscious use of storytelling in the heat of the workplace.
Maybe this paradox is driven by a combination of an innate technical mindset that makes them ‘allergic’ to storytelling and the often overcomplicated theories that surround the craft.
One of the most prevalent of these theories is Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ which in its original form follows seventeen stages.
It’s little wonder that today’s time poor leader, who is constantly fighting fires and barely has time for some back of the napkin communication planning, shies away from storytelling.
So, how can leaders simplify the process and elevate story to the valued position it deserves?
Thankfully, the answer isn’t rocket-science.
Taking Storytelling from Theory to Practice
Because storytelling is so wired into us as a species it isn’t something that leaders need to learn from scratch.
But they do need to consciously practice some core skills if they want to maximise the benefits.
Make Use of Narrative Transportation
If you have ever sat on a beach reading a good book and felt that you have lost track of time and place you have experienced narrative transportation. It’s those moments when your attention, emotions and imagination are so bound up with the events, characters and settings that you lose awareness of your real surroundings.
Leaders can make use of this neural phenomenon by adding four elements to the beginning of any message: Time, Place, Character and Action.
It’s as simple as saying, ‘Last week I was in the boardroom and Martha said that our digital strategy has already put clear blue water between us and the competition.’
The combination of this clever quartet automatically puts your listener’s brain into story mode and primes them to want to know more.
Balance Emotion with Evidence
Maybe one of the biggest reasons that leaders undervalue story is because they dismiss it as purely emotive.
There is certainly enough evidence to show that emotions play a significant role in organisational change and that leaders should embrace this fact. But the logic driven leader should take comfort in knowing that data is an immensely powerful storytelling tool.
The legendary advertising copywriter Dave Trott says that a story without numbers could be seen as patronising, and the people who use them wisely to prove either a positive or negative point will pack an even bigger emotional punch.
So don’t ditch your data. Just put it in the context of a story.
Don’t Forget the Struggle:
All good stories need a goal. But without an obstacle that gets in the way of that goal you don’t have a story.
In fact, it has been said that the single element of good storytelling that usurps any complicated structure is the ability to introduce reversals of fortune.
When you are crafting your story don’t forget the vital ‘villain’ element that stands in the way of your ambitions.
It might be inefficiency, it might be regulatory pressures, it might be uncertainty about the future.
Whatever you choose, make sure you give your vision something to fight against.
Storytelling: The API of Leadership
In the world of software development an API (Application Programming Interface) is the messenger that allows different programmes to share information and come up with solutions that each individual programme would never create.
Every time you book a combination of flight, car and hotel at the press of a button it is the API that is doing the heavy lifting.
Storytelling is the API of leadership because it allows you to bring different people together, help them understand problems with clarity and create solutions they would never imagine as individuals.
As organisations navigate increasingly complex challenges, this ability to craft and tell meaningful narratives will only grow in importance. And the leaders who recognise storytelling as a core skill will gain a competitive advantage as they connect their teams, communicate their vision and drive the change they need to see.
Maybe the leaders who remember to value humanity’s oldest tribal technology will be the ones who don’t just survive but thrive.
