Leadership stories that matter the most

Great leaders seem to be able to tell an inspiring story at a moments notice, right when their people need it most, and whilst many do this naturally and with great flair, I bet that I have spent time at some point in their leadership journey rehearsing how to tell specific stories for specific moments in time. 

In our business, we spend time teaching leaders how to tell better stories and we are often asked what are the most important stories to tell, or what parts of storytelling from a leadership perspective matter the most? 

 From my perspective, the truth is what story you tell is far more important than how you tell it. 

 Great leaders leverage many stories they have prepared and know which ones are absolutely critical relative to the moment they find themselves in.  

 The truth is, there are hundreds of great stories leaders need to be able to tell, yet there are a simple few that matter most.  

The most critical stories I believe relate to a leader's ability to set the direction of the company through the stories they tell. These stories typically revolve around the history of the company, where it came from and why it matters today. This is important because it is very hard for a leader to create a story for change if they can’t talk to where they have come from. Similarly, it is imperative for every company to have a vision and purpose story in order for the strategy story to really make any sense. 

 If a leader can tell you those stories, your organisation is much more likely to get wherever it is that you want it to go as everyone will be clearly aligned in the understanding. These stories are definitely foundational and something great leaders tell often as they create great unity and purpose. 

The next batch of stories are more about who we are as an organisation. In essence these should be focused around what we believe, in essence our values story. Who we serve is all about our customer and what we do for our customers is our sales and service story.  

Finally, a leader needs to be able to tell a story about how we are different from our competitors which in essence is a marketing story. 

 In essence, these foundational stories define who your organisation is, what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for.  

The last critical story I would recommend to a leader are personal stories around why I lead the way I do and a personal leadership philosophy story that answers why your staff should want to work for you and your company. This will help make sure that the talented people you employ want to work with you and that they'll fully embrace and follow your leadership. 

For more information on how to create some great stories that revolve around the critical themes I have highlighted feel free to reach out for our storytelling playbook or alternatively tune in to The Chiefs to hear amazing stories from leaders who are using them everyday to lead their organisations.