Last month, a reader wrote to me about a chapter in Lived (an eBook I wrote on using personal stories in professional settings). She had noticed something I walked straight past. The failure stories in the book, she said, were…
The real problem isn’t stage fright. It’s empty pockets. Every leadership communication workshop ends the same way. There’s applause for the speaker who just told a masterful story about failing, pivoting, and coming out stronger. Heads nod. People lean in.…
Let me tell you about a moment that changed how I think about knowledge. A few years ago, I watched one of the sharpest financial analysts I’d ever met completely lose a room during an investor town hall. He was…
Most leaders think storytelling is a soft skill. I used to smile politely when someone said that. You know the smile. The one that says “nice,” but does it move the needle? It’s a fair question. If storytelling is just…
He didn’t want to be there. When my collaborator reached out after seeing my posts on storytelling, she was enthusiastic. We had a first conversation. The energy was good. We decided to meet in person. But she brought her co-founder.…
A few weeks after LIVED went out into the world, a reader who had read the book on using personal stories in professional settings gave this feedback: he liked the book. But he wished I’d added one more chapter on…
I was running a storytelling workshop a few months ago for a group of senior leaders, and I asked them to do something simple. I said, tell me a story about a time your team solved a genuinely hard problem.…
Somewhere in the mid-2000s, I sat down for what I thought was a job interview. It wasn’t. Not in any way I recognized. I had lunch with the interviewer, a senior gentleman I’d never met before. Seventy-five minutes, a proper…
A friend called me last week, a little deflated. He works at a large multinational. The company had given him a role he actually wanted: storytelling mentor to three new joiners spread across different countries. One hour a week. Help…
A few years ago, I was sitting with a leadership team. Good company. Solid product. Smart people. And they were frustrated. At one point, the CEO said something very interesting: “We are doing everything right. Why does it feel like…
