Effective storytelling: leadership’s magic motivational methodology

Abstract

Purpose

If leaders really want to change people’s minds and enlist them in existential endeavors, they need an understanding of the dynamics of persuasion and the craft of leadership storytelling.

Design/methodology/approach

Stories that do change minds and inspire different behavior tend to have a particular narrative pattern. The author offers a set of key elements.

Findings

To inspire customer-focused, continuous innovation, leadership storytelling has untapped potential.

Practical implications

Leadership storytelling, when done right, at least gives company change agents a fighting chance of success.

Originality/value

The ongoing reinvention of management to transform workplaces of the 20th century into the lively centers of inspiration and creativity that are needed for the creative economy of the 21st century necessitates the elevation of change-agent storytelling to the central place in leadership that it deserves. The author offers a primer.

Citation

Denning, S. (2021), "Effective storytelling: leadership’s magic motivational methodology", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 49 No. 3, pp. 26-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-03-2021-0029