For senior executives, storytelling is one of the most useful skills you can master.
Humans are hard-wired to respond to stories. When you learn how to tell stories effectively, you find it easier to get people on board with your initiatives, you build stronger relationships, and you become more memorable.
Why Storytelling?
Executives who adeptly use storytelling:
- Create Clarity: Executive roles are often complex and intangible. It can be a challenge to get customers and employees to fully grasp and appreciate what you are trying to accomplish. Stories can simplify and humanize complex concepts, making them more accessible, relatable, and understandable.
- Build Trust: Your business almost certainly depends heavily on customer trust. Sharing stories that highlight your mission, vision, and commitment to customer success can significantly enhance trust and confidence.
- Foster Loyalty: Employee retention is paramount. Stories that continually demonstrate your values, culture, and commitment to employees enhance loyalty.
- Make a Lasting Impression: Unique and compelling narratives can significantly differentiate you, highlighting your expertise, vision, and values in a memorable way.
- Establishing Emotional Connection: Often overlooked in the corporate space, especially in technology, personal and impactful stories can create emotional resonance, fostering deeper relationships with employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
Here are 12 essential stories that should be part of any executive’s arsenal of storytelling. Seven are stories relating to your work, which are great for building credibility and showing leadership. The other five are a little more personal, helpful for allowing people to better understand who you are as a human being.
7 Professional Stories
These narratives showcase your professional expertise and leadership style. They give people insight into what you are working on and how you think about your role.
Innovation: Talking about AI and other innovations shows that you are on the cutting edge in your company and your industry.
Employee Growth and Development: Attract and retain talented employees by sharing stories of your team’s accomplishments and professional growth.
Partnership and Collaboration: Let people see your commitment to mutually beneficial partnerships by sharing stories of collaboration and success.
Diversity and Inclusion: Attract a diverse workforce, partners, and customers by highlighting your (and the company’s) commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Sustainability and Social Responsibility: It’s increasingly important to all stakeholders that a company — and its leader’s — attitude and efforts toward sustainability and social responsibility are aligned. Tell these stories to show your commitment and action on both fronts.
Technical Expertise and Excellence: Share stories that emphasize the CEO’s and the team’s deep technical expertise and commitment to excellence, which will reinforce the company’s capability to deliver high-quality, reliable, and advanced solutions.
Global Reach: If you are expanding into global markets, share the story of your company’s increasing influence, reach, and potential for further growth.
5 Personal Stories
Telling stories to highlight who you are as a person is crucial to personal branding. These stories create an emotional connection and make you more relatable. As a bonus, these posts often receive much more attention and engagement than business-related posts.
Personal Journey and Background: Sharing your personal history — where you grew up, your education, early experiences, and significant life-shaping events — provides people with a deeper understanding of you as a person. From past challenges and failures to setbacks and overcoming them, these stories allow people to know you more, to like and relate to you, and ultimately to trust and follow you.
Values, Leadership Philosophy, and Life Lessons: Executives who consistently communicate their philosophy, guiding principles, lessons learned, and wisdom, foster a deeper connection and understanding with their employees and other stakeholders.
Community Involvement: Being a senior executive can feel all-consuming, but life is more than just business, and people are interested in what matters to you outside the job. When you share your involvement in community service, philanthropy, or social causes, it reinforces your commitment to giving back and making a positive impact beyond the business realm.
Hobbies Outside of Work: Talk a little about your interests outside of work, so stakeholders see — and relate to — the well-rounded individual that you are.
Mentorship and Personal Growth: Who were the important mentors, role models, or key influences in your life? What lessons did you learn from them? Sharing these stories demonstrates not only your commitment to learning and growth but also acknowledges the contribution of others to your success.
Storytelling for Success
Each of these stories plays a crucial role in building a robust, multifaceted personal brand for you that resonates with your audiences, contributing to enhanced trust, credibility, and meaningful relationships.
How is your storytelling? If you are too busy to tell stories consistently, or feel like your storytelling could be better, our team can help. Reach out to me on LinkedIn or schedule a quick call.