Storytelling as an Effective Leadership Tool

Telling stories can be done by anyone, no matter their age, income, or job title. In our research, we sought to understand how storytelling can be used by organizational leaders to pass along essential information, attitudes, and traditions. Stories are timeless, simple, educational, and powerful which make them an effective leadership tool. We began our research with a traditional literature review, incorporating information we gained in interviews with executives from a storytelling firm and from a Fortune 500 firm. We used the internet to get the most recent information that has yet to be published. Stories should be told in such a way that it portrays what the company believes in, as well as how people should behave. Stories need to be structured so that the listener understands their relevance and the conveyed message. Finally, leaders should always practice what they preach. It is extremely important that a leader is not hypocritical, even when telling stories. The best ingredients to any leader\u27s story include ideas, values, emotions, and an edge. By using these ingredients, leaders can create stories to portray the future as an unfolding drama, or they can teach stories to create a teachable point of view that will lead to success