Leadership skills come in many, but when we talk about leading, we specifically mean leading people.
Nothing delivers more value in leadership than providing your people clarity, vision and inspiration, and empowering them to go chase the goals and deliver results.
How do you achieve this?
With communication.
In this week’s episode of the Story-Driven Business podcast, we talk about how to put storytelling as the most underrated leadership skill into practice. This episode is part two to last week’s episode 191. If you didn’t listen to that yet, you may want to start with it. Or at least check it out later.
Adding storytelling in your leadership skills
It’s one thing to agree in theory, “Alright, I should tell more stories.” It’s another to actually start doing it in your day-to-day leadership.
In the next part, I’ll give some practical tips for CEOs, executives, and team leads on how to start learning and practicing storytelling. Think of this as your storytelling starter kit.
Before the practical tips, I want to emphasize one more transformative aspect of storytelling in leadership: its ability to generate emotional buy-in and turn a strategy into a movement.
This is really the pinnacle of what we’re aiming for as leaders. You don’t just want passive agreement; you want active enrollment – people so aligned with the mission that they help drive it forward.
Episode 192 Storytelling: The Most Underrated Leadership Skill in Business, part 2
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Turning Strategy into a Movement: The Power of Story for Buy-In
We’ve all seen what happens when a strategy fails to inspire: employees comply outwardly but inwardly they disengage, projects lose momentum, and change efforts stall out.
The strategy becomes just another task, not a cause anyone cares about.
Storytelling can change that dynamic.
By framing your strategy as a narrative – a journey from a current challenge to an envisioned better future – you invite your team to be part of something bigger than just a checklist of deliverables.
You invite them [your people] to join a movement.
Consider how great social movements or big company turnarounds are communicated.
Leaders often use storytelling metaphors or rallying cries.
When Satya Nadella took over Microsoft, he famously talked about rediscovering the soul of the company – that’s narrative.
When Howard Schultz returned to Starbucks during its slump, he didn’t just issue directives; he reminded everyone of the Starbucks story – the Italian espresso bar inspiration and the idea of creating a “third place” for customers – effectively re-storying the company around its original mission.
These narratives created emotional buy-in; employees were re-energized because they understood the deeper why and saw themselves as characters in the comeback story.
These narratives created emotional buy-in; employees were re-energized because they understood the deeper why and saw themselves as characters in the comeback story.
One of my favorite examples in leadership storytelling is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech – not a business example, but the principle carries over.
Dr. King presented a vision (a dream) so tangible and emotionally powerful that it galvanized a movement.
He didn’t recite statistics about injustice, though he certainly could have; instead, he painted a picture of children of different races holding hands in brotherhood.
That story of the future was so compelling that it mobilized people at scale. In a company setting, our stakes and scope are different, but humans respond to narratives in any context.
If you can articulate your company’s “dream” or the movement you want to create in your industry or community, you’ll inspire employees to be activists for that cause, not just nine-to-five workers.
Let’s bring this to a business ROI perspective.
When employees are emotionally bought in – when they feel they’re part of a cause or movement – their engagement skyrockets. They don’t watch the clock; they watch for opportunities to contribute.
Productivity and creativity increase because people are internally motivated.
And guess what, this translates to external results too: better products, better customer service, and a brand that attracts fans.
Story-driven leadership creates a ripple effect. It really makes sense to develop storytelling as one of your core leadership skills!
Story-driven leadership creates a ripple effect. It really makes sense to develop storytelling as one of your core leadership skills!
Customers can tell when they interact with genuinely engaged, purpose-driven employees. It’s magnetic.
In employer branding terms, the stories leadership tells internally inevitably flow outward.
If you as a leader frequently share stories about, say, how your product changes lives, your team will adopt that narrative and share it in their own words with friends, family, or on social media.
Suddenly your strategy becomes a story that everyone knows and repeats, and that is how it turns into a movement.
People want to be part of something meaningful – it’s a fundamental human drive.
People want to be part of something meaningful – it’s a fundamental human drive.
As a leader, you have the opportunity to frame your strategy as something meaningful.
- It could be an audacious goal (“We’re going to revolutionize this industry by doing X”)
- or a moral mission (“We stand for Y, and we’re rallying to make it a reality”),
- or a redemption story (“We stumbled, but here’s how we’ll rise”).
Give your people a narrative arc they can champion.
Example of how one CEO used storytelling to invite their employees to a sustainability movement
I’ll give a quick real example from a client (without naming names). This company was implementing a major sustainability initiative – pretty dry stuff on the surface: like reduce carbon footprint, switch to renewable energy, etc.
Initially, the communication was all technical: percentages of reduction, timelines, budgets. Amd they wanted all this to be included in their employer branding!
I knew their employees would shrug. I shrugged just hearing about it!
People felt it sounded like extra work and cost for vague benefits. This was turned around by communications helping the leadership to reframe the rollout.
The CEO started telling a personal story at each town hall about why he cared about sustainability: he talked about taking his kids hiking and noticing the changes in the environment over the years, and how he realized he had to take responsibility as a business leader to ensure the next generation has a healthy planet.
This wasn’t a polished marketing story, it was a genuine personal conviction.
Then he linked that to the company:
“We have an opportunity to lead, to be part of the solution, and here’s what that looks like…” and painted a vivid picture of a future where the company’s headquarters runs on clean energy and sets an example in their community as a responsible organization.
Together with the support of communication, the CEO invited employees to share ideas that would make them proud of being part of this journey.
The difference in reception was night and day.
Employees formed volunteer green teams to contribute ideas; a movement was born internally. Not only did they hit their sustainability targets, but employee engagement scores rose because people felt they had a role in the story and felt pride in sharing it.
And externally, the company’s brand got a boost too, because that pride showed up in how employees talked about their work.
The point is, storytelling can turn strategy into a story, and that story into a shared mission.
The point is, storytelling can turn strategy into a story, and that story into a shared mission. Strategy by itself is about what and how; story adds the why and who.
Strategy by itself is about what and how; story adds the why and who.
It gives everyone a role to play (remember how I’ve endlessly talked about making your people the heroes).
Employees and customers are the heroes of your company
In the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™ I developed, the first principle is exactly that: the talent (your people) is the hero of the story, not your company.
When leaders communicate in a way that makes their employees or customers the heroes, and positions the company (or leadership) as the guide or catalyst, you get massive buy-in.
People see themselves in the narrative.
It’s no longer your strategy – it becomes our story.
And when it’s our story, we all want to see a happy ending, so we’ll put in the effort to get there.
Alright, hopefully I’ve convinced you that storytelling can indeed rally people and create movements at work.
Now, it’s time to get practical.
Let’s say you’re sold on this concept but you’re thinking, “What do I actually do on Monday morning to start being a better storyteller as a leader?” Fear not – here are some concrete tips.
Storytelling Tips for Leaders: How to Start Practicing Today
Whether you’re a CEO, a department head, or an emerging team lead, you can start building your storytelling skills (as one of your core leadership skills!) right away.
Think of it as learning a new language – the language of narrative. Here are some actionable tips to get you started:
#1 Know Your Core Message (Start with Why)
Before you even craft a story, be clear on the why behind what you’re communicating. What is the core message or value you want to convey?
If you can’t distill the point into a sentence or two, you’re not ready to tell the story.
Use Simon Sinek’s advice: identify “why it matters”.
For example, if you’re introducing a new project, ask yourself why you believe in it. That conviction will guide your story.
It might be to solve a customer’s problem, to improve employees’ daily work life, or to achieve a vision that excites you. Clarity on your message will ensure your story has a strong anchor and doesn’t wander.
#2 Make Your Audience the Hero
This is a big mindset shift. As a leader, you might be used to being the protagonist in communications (“I need my vision understood; I will lead you there”).
Try flipping it.
Frame your communication with your employees or listeners as the protagonists and yourself as the guide or mentor.
In storytelling terms, if they are Luke Skywalker, you are Yoda.
Remember the Magnetic Employer Branding principle: the employer (leader) is the trusted guide.
Practically, this means when you tell a story about a new initiative, highlight how the team or a team member can shine or grow through it, rather than how brilliant the plan or the leader is.
Offer guidance, wisdom, a vision – but let them see themselves as the main characters who will carry it out.
This approach is inherently motivating because people want to be the hero of their own story. Your story simply casts their role in the larger play.
#3 Use Real Examples and Anecdotes
Start collecting a bank of short anecdotes from day-to-day business life.
They could be customer success stories, employee achievements, lessons from failures, or personal moments that taught you something about work.
Having these on hand makes it easier to spice up communications.
Next time you’re preparing a presentation or email, instead of leading with abstract information, lead with an example. For instance, rather than saying “Team collaboration is important,” start with:
“Last month, our sales and product teams partnered on that client demo – I heard how Kim and Anna worked late together to customize the presentation. That collaboration won us the deal. Let’s talk about how we can enable more of that.”
See how that immediately grounds the message in a concrete story?
It grabs attention and makes the lesson clear without you having to spell it out. Commit to sharing at least one story in your next team meeting or town hall. It can be as brief as a few sentences. The more you do it, the more natural it will feel.
#4 Keep It Simple and Relatable
You’re not trying to win an Oscar for screenwriting; you’re trying to communicate.
Keep your stories simple in structure – a beginning (situation), a middle (challenge or action), and an end (outcome or lesson).
Use language that is relatable and not overly corporate.
It’s perfectly fine, even ideal, to say “Imagine…” or “I remember when…” or “Let me tell you about what happened to our client last week…”.
Don’t worry about sounding formal; conversational tone draws people in.
Tailor your story to your audience.
If you’re speaking to frontline employees, make sure the story speaks to their daily reality; if to executives, maybe a higher-level strategic story. In all cases, avoid jargon that could dilute the emotional impact.
Donald Miller’s rule applies here too: if you want people to stick with you, make sure they can understand it fast.
Simplicity is not dumbing down – it’s removing friction so the story hits the heart and mind without getting lost in translation.
#5 Show Vulnerability and Honesty
As a leader, you set the tone for authenticity. Don’t be afraid to occasionally share stories where you’re not the flawless hero. It could be a mistake that taught you something or an obstacle you had to overcome with the help of others.
Brené Brown’s work reminds us that showing vulnerability can actually increase people’s trust in you, because it shows you’re real.
Of course, keep it appropriate and constructive – the story should have a purpose and a positive takeaway (for example, “I learned the importance of asking for help” or “That failure pushed me to develop a better process”).
When you open up, you give permission to your team to be honest as well, which can foster a culture of openness and continuous learning. An honest story beats a polished slide deck in winning hearts any day.
#6 Practice in Low-Stakes Settings
If you’re nervous about storytelling, practice when the pressure is low. Try incorporating a little story in your next one-on-one conversation or in an email update.
Notice the reaction.
You might be pleasantly surprised – people often respond warmly, because stories are engaging. You can also practice by writing your stories down.
Some leaders keep a journal or a document of leadership stories – jotting down experiences and the lessons from them.
Writing helps organize your thoughts and you can later pull from this library when you need an anecdote.
Think of it as preparing your “leadership stories” much like you’d prepare content for a speech. Over time, you’ll have a trove of go-to stories for different messages: a story for resilience, a story for innovation, a story for teamwork, etc.
#7 Learn from the Best
Observe great storytellers and borrow techniques.
Watch TED talks by speakers like Simon Sinek or check out speeches by leaders known for their storytelling (Steve Jobs’ iPhone launch in 2007 is a classic; he told the story of the smartphone revolution in a way anyone could grasp).
Notice how they structure their talk, how they use pauses, how they build anticipation or use metaphors.
I often recommend Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework as a simple model for crafting a message: it involves a character (your audience), with a problem, who meets a guide (you/your company), who gives them a plan, that calls them to action, that results in success (and helps them avoid failure).
It’s straight out of the movies, but it works for communication too.
You don’t need to explicitly map this every time, but internalizing these beats can help you craft more compelling narratives.
Additionally, pay attention to stories in your everyday life – maybe a podcast, a book, or even a friend telling a story.
Ask: what made it engaging?
Was it the vivid detail, the emotion, the twist? The more you attune to storytelling, the more naturally you’ll incorporate those elements.
#8 Invite Stories from Others
This is a tip that not only helps you but also empowers your people.
Encourage others on your team to share their stories and perspectives. In meetings, you can say, “Could someone share a quick story of a win or a challenge from this week?”
When someone does, listen and celebrate it. By doing this, you create a storytelling culture.
It takes the pressure off you to be the only storyteller and generates a wealth of narratives that everyone can learn from.
It also signals that you value personal expression and lessons learned, not just cold results.
Over time, this practice can make teams more cohesive. People bond over stories; they find common ground or inspiration. As a leader, you can then pick up on those stories and weave them into larger messages.
For example, if an employee shares a creative solution they tried, you might highlight that story company-wide as an example of innovation. Now you’re amplifying the storytelling.
Implementing these tips can start small – you don’t have to overhaul your entire communication style overnight.
Try one or two in the coming days.
Maybe you decide, “In my next team email, I’ll open with a short story instead of a data dump.” Or “In the next exec presentation, I’ll frame the challenge by narrating a customer’s experience.”
These might seem like subtle changes, but they set you on the path to more engaging leadership communication.
Remember, every story has a beginning. Your journey to become a story-driven leader starts with the first story you choose to tell.
Don’t worry if it’s not perfect; authenticity trumps perfection. With practice, you’ll find your voice, and your team will start responding.
Now, there’s one more important angle we need to discuss: how all of this ties into employer branding and company culture on a broader level.
We’ve touched on it, but let’s connect the dots fully. Your personal communication style as a leader – your storytelling – doesn’t just influence day-to-day operations; it shapes your company’s culture and reputation in the talent market. It is an equally visible cue to your leadership style than your behavior as a leader – at work and outside work.
Let’s explore that, and then we’ll conclude with some final inspiration and takeaways.
From Leader’s Voice to Company Culture: Storytelling & Employer Branding
Here’s a powerful truth: your internal culture and external brand are two sides of the same coin, and storytelling is the link between them.
The stories you tell internally – and the way you tell them – will inevitably flow outward, influencing how current and prospective employees perceive your organization.
As a leader, your voice often sets the tone for the entire company.
As a leader, your voice often sets the tone for the entire company.
Think about company culture as the collection of “stories we tell ourselves” about how we work and why we work.
If employees constantly hear their CEO or managers communicating through engaging narratives that highlight purpose, values, and appreciation, they absorb those stories and retell them.
If, on the other hand, leadership communication is dry, purely tactical, or fear-based, that becomes the internal story (e.g., “around here, it’s all about the numbers and nothing else”).
If employees constantly hear their CEO or managers communicating through engaging narratives that highlight purpose, values, and appreciation, they absorb those stories and retell them.
Every message you send is planting a cultural seed. Over time, those seeds grow into the folklore of the company.
Why does storytelling in your kit of leadership skills matter to employer branding?
Now, why does this matter for employer branding?
Employer branding is essentially how your company is perceived as a workplace – what employees say about it, what candidates believe about it.
And nothing shapes that more than how leaders communicate.
Nothing shapes that more than how leaders communicate.
A leader’s personal communication style becomes part of the company’s identity.
If you are an inspiring storyteller, your organization gets a reputation (internally and externally) for having visionary leadership and a clear, compelling mission.
This attracts talent; people want to work for leaders who give them a sense of purpose.
Conversely, if leadership is known to communicate poorly or unemotionally, that can repel talent – or at least fail to attract the best people who have options and are looking for meaning, not just a paycheck.
Let’s tie in some insights from Story-Driven Employer Branding, my book, to illustrate this connection.
The core framework explained in my book is the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™, which, as mentioned, leverages storytelling to match the minds and aspirations of talent with the mission of the organization.
Principle 1 – The Talent is the Hero
A key starting point is acknowledging a simple reality: “Talented people don’t join companies; they join futures they believe in.”
That line encapsulates why storytelling is essential from a leadership perspective.
As a leader, when you communicate your vision as a compelling future (a story of what tomorrow looks like at your company and why it matters), you’re effectively painting a future that people can choose to join.
You’re selling a “future” – a narrative of growth, impact, and purpose – rather than just a job. Leaders who master this attract people who believe in that future, who want to be characters in that story.
That’s powerful for recruiting and retention, because those folks are inherently more motivated and aligned.
Principle 2 – The Company Positions as a Trusted Guide
Another principle from this story-driven employer branding methodology says: to attract and retain top talent, position yourself as the trusted guide and your talent as the hero.
We discussed this in the context of daily leadership, but it’s equally a branding strategy for you as a leader and for your business towards customers and current and future employees.
When employees feel that leadership is there to guide and empower them, and that the company story is built around their success, they are more engaged and loyal. It builds what I call sustainable affinity.
They see the company as “the place that enables me to achieve my aspirations” rather than just “the place that uses me to achieve its goals.” This kind of relationship comes from leaders who communicate with empathy and vision, like a mentor in a story, not a boss barking orders.
And guess what – employees talk.
In the lunchroom, on LinkedIn, on Glassdoor – they share how it feels to work at your company. Their stories about you become part of your brand.
If they often say, “Our CEO always shares the why behind decisions and it really inspires us” or “My manager starts meetings with stories of customers, which reminds us why our work matters,” those anecdotes become a selling point for your culture.
Creating Vital Trust with Storytelling
Internal trust is another piece of this puzzle.
Effective storytelling by leadership can boost trust scores significantly. Trust is the bedrock of a strong culture. When trust is high, retention is higher and people become ambassadors for your brand.
They recommend friends to apply, they boast about their company with pride.
All of that starts with them trusting leadership, which in turn comes from consistent, authentic communication – in other words, your storytelling habit.
On the flip side, poor communication erodes trust and thus erodes culture.
People fill in narrative gaps with rumors or assume the worst. As a leader, by proactively providing a transparent narrative (especially during changes or crises), you keep the trust bank full.
Let’s not forget the external aspect: talent attraction.
Employer branding isn’t just HR’s job; it’s profoundly influenced by leaders. These days, potential hires scrutinize leaders as much as they do the company itself.
Thanks to social media and platforms like LinkedIn or podcasts like this, leaders often have a public voice. If you regularly share insightful stories or demonstrate a compelling narrative about your industry and your company’s role in it, talent will notice.
For example, some CEOs blog or post on LinkedIn about their company’s journey, values, or learning moments. Those posts are mini-stories that give outsiders a peek into the company culture. When authentic, they can excite someone to say, “I want to work for that kind of leader.”
Donald Miller’s quote about customers applies to candidates too: they “buy” (or choose) the workplaces they understand and feel drawn to fastest.
If your company’s story – as told through leadership – is clear and magnetic, top talent will understand quickly why they should join, and they’ll feel it’s a place where they can belong and thrive.
In short, your storytelling as a leader creates a narrative thread that runs from inside the company (employee experience) to the outside (employer brand reputation).
It influences internal trust, retention, and attraction. As you strengthen that muscle, you might find it beneficial to formalize it.
Some companies even create an internal “story bank” or hold storytelling workshops for leaders and managers as part of leadership development.
The idea is to bake storytelling into how the company operates, ensuring continuity of narrative at all levels. Because it shouldn’t just be the CEO telling stories – culture is lived and conveyed by leaders at every level.
The idea is to bake storytelling into how the company operates, ensuring continuity of narrative at all levels. Because it shouldn’t just be the CEO telling stories – culture is lived and conveyed by leaders at every level.
If you’re a CEO, encourage your managers to emulate this style. If you’re a manager, know that your direct influence on your team’s culture is huge, and your communication style is a big part of that.
Those who can story-drive their culture have the edge
One more insight: in an age where employer branding and company culture are key competitive advantages (especially in knowledge industries), those who can story-drive their culture have the edge.
Many companies have similar perks, benefits, or even pay. What truly differentiates a workplace is the sense of purpose and belonging – which comes from the stories people hear and tell about working there.
By being intentional in crafting and sharing those stories, you essentially brand your culture in the minds of your people and your candidates.
The best businesses don’t just market products – they brand their people, culture, values, and future through storytelling. That’s how you become magnetic.
Alright, we’ve covered a lot of ground.
We talked about why storytelling is the underrated yet super-powerful leadership skill, how it improves so many facets of leadership from clarity to culture, why leaders struggle and how to overcome those challenges, how to start practicing storytelling, and finally, how a leader’s storytelling connects to broader culture and employer brand.
Now it’s time to wrap up with some inspiration and a call to action, so you can carry this forward after listening.
Storytelling might indeed be the most underrated leadership skills in business, but I hope after today’s deep dive, it’s now on your radar as a skill to embrace and develop.
People will forget endless data and forget bland instructions, but they won’t forget a good story that made them feel something.
When you lead with a story, you lead with emotion and purpose, not just intellect.
And when you consistently do that, you’re not just managing a team or executing a strategy – you’re building a legacy. You’re setting vision and values in a way that people will carry on even when you’re not in the room.
Thank you for listening.
My name is Susanna Rantanen, and I bring you story-driven branding in a world where attention is no longer a default.
Until next time, keep leading with purpose and stay story-driven.