Great leaders are skilled communicators, and by necessity, storytellers. This applies to leaders in business, religion, politics and especially non-profits.
What is the point of storytelling and why is it so important? Narrative is what keeps everyone on the same page, it is what aligns all stakeholders to the vision for the organization. It presents the organization like the orderly pyramid above on the left, when it most days feel like the anarchy on the right.
In business, it is the CEO who must compellingly share her vision of the future. That narrative must roll off their tongue as easily as a parent reading a bedtime story for the 964th time. Naturally, empathically, compellingly.
If you are a non-profit, all you really have is your narrative. The stories you are telling about why you exist.
It is an absolute truth that great companies have great leaders. The opposite is equally true. Thankfully, for those of us who want to be better leaders, there is solid science on how to do it, and it isn’t that complicated. A lot of it resides in trust and communication and, yes, courage.
