Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It: Why People Demand it

Become a Storyteller

The ancient art of storytelling is another major way that leaders teach others about what sense to make of various actions and achievements. Many of the stories come from their own experiences of going first, taking risks, and confronting critical incidents. Many come from what team members have done, and still others from leaders they've observed in other settings. Stories are teaching tools and powerful strategies for getting your point across, and your constituents will remember them better than policy pronouncements, lists, or statistics.11 The latter are typically abstract and bland, lacking the emotional stickiness that makes them memorable. Stories, on the other hand, are examples of what the policies or principles ...