Leaders, What’s Your Story?

During my career two innovations have stood out as game changers when it comes to how leaders convey their messages: PowerPoint and TED Talks. PowerPoint, launched in 1987, transformed the syntax of corporate communication, inducing (too) many of us to share our thoughts in a staccato barrage of bullet points, data, and stock images. (Next slide, please.) TED Talks, which debuted online in 2006, regularly go viral—in part because they’re a refreshing alternative to cliché-ridden corporate-speak. The best ones are personal and descriptive and have a compelling narrative arc. (Most are relatively short too.) Their success demonstrates that humans can’t help being engaged by a well-told tale. In this issue’s cover article, “ Storytelling That Drives Bold Change ,” Frances Frei and Anne Morriss offer a framework for leaders who want to master this crucial art. “When your organization needs to make a big change, stories will help you convey not only why it needs to transform but also what the future will look like in specific, vivid terms,” they write, drawing on examples from T-Mobile, Uber, Domino’s, and other companies. “Depending on the measurement used, up to 70% of organizational change efforts fail. But if you create a compelling narrative, you’ll greatly increase your chances of defying those odds.” My two cents? Fewer slides, and more stories! Thanks for reading.

Leaders, What’s Your Story?

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