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 meal, completely unhurried. And in that entire time, he asked me exactly one question. Two…

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 them use stories to connect, influence, and build credibility at work. His first session did…

A few years ago, I was sitting with a leadership team. Good company. Solid product. Smart people. And they were frustrated. Leads are coming in, but they’re not converting. At one point, the CEO said something very interesting: “We are doing everything right. Why does it feel like nothing is moving?” I’ve heard versions of…

Most executives think corporate storytelling is about delivery. Better presentations. More compelling speeches. A touch of TED. That assumption misses the point entirely, and it’s costing them clarity where it matters most. Corporate storytelling is not about telling stories. It is about how leaders structure reality. Because strategy is not remembered as bullet points. It…

After more than 100 storytelling workshops, I’ve started worrying about something. Not attendance. Not feedback. Not outcomes. Something else. The day I walk out of a workshop without learning anything new, that’s the day I should probably stop running it. When workshops become performances Early on, I thought my job was simple. Go in, teach…

Most organizations are obsessed with one question: How are we different? Different product. Different positioning. Different culture. Different strategy. But here’s a quieter, more uncomfortable question: Different from what and aligned around what? When we study storytelling across cultures, something fascinating happens. We don’t look for what makes us different. We look for what makes…

March 1st, 1996. Eastern Express Highway in Mumbai. A Premier Padmini. No seat belt. I don’t usually begin newsletters like this. And I don’t usually share this story in public forums. Not because it is secret. But because it is singular. And singular stories are complicated. The accident We were on our way to a…

Have you ever seen that look? The polite half-smile. The slight nod. The eyes scanning for an exit. The expression says: I know this is important, but I’d rather not. I’ve seen that face in boardrooms. In classrooms. At family gatherings. Even at dinner tables. And over the years, I’ve realized something uncomfortable: It’s rarely…

I keep hearing this question. Have you actually seen storytelling change anything? Or is this all overhyped? It usually comes with a follow-up. Isn’t storytelling just manipulation? A polished way of lying? And honestly? I don’t roll my eyes when someone says this anymore. Because I get where this is coming from. We have seen…

Many years ago, I attended a classical dance programme conducted by someone I know very well. I took my son along with me. He was five at the time. The performance was beautiful. At the end, the dance guru spoke passionately about classical dance. She spoke about its history, its discipline, and the responsibility we…

Over the years, I’ve learnt something the hard way. In corporate settings, you are allowed to tell a story only if you can make a point. Not in a philosophical way. Not in an abstract way. But in a way where the listener can clearly say, “Okay, I get why you told me this.” If…

For those of you who don’t know me, I am Michelle’s husband, Barack. The first time I heard this, I smiled. Not because it was clever. But because it was unexpected. Here was someone the world knew by power and position, choosing to introduce himself through a relationship. And just like that, the room softened.…

Every crisis has two timelines. One is operational. Servers go down. Flights get cancelled. Security is breached. The other is narrative. And that one moves faster, spreads wider, and lasts longer. Most organizations prepare obsessively for the first timeline. Very few prepare for the second. And that’s where reputations are quietly won, or permanently damaged.…

A few weeks ago, I was waiting for a meeting to start. Everyone had joined the call on time, which is rare enough to be a story in itself. But nothing had begun yet. Cameras were on. Mics were muted. We were all just waiting. One participant suddenly smiled and said, “Sorry, I zoned out…

If you want to tell your own story in business, don’t start with impact. Start with a moment. Here’s a simple template I often share. ‘I noticed something in my life’ story. You don’t need drama. You don’t need victory. You need recognition. Use this 5-part flow. #1 Start with a moment, and not a…

During my workshops, I often start with a simple question. Tell me about someone who has inspired you. Almost instantly, the room fills with familiar names. Mahatma Gandhi. Steve Jobs. Bill Gates. Sometimes Elon Musk. Sometimes Ratan Tata. All exceptional people. No arguments there. Then I ask a second question. Do you think you can…

I had an interesting conversation with a CEO recently. He is the CEO of a company with $3 million in revenue. He is a sharp guy deep in the business, and carrying about ten things in his head at once, such as sales, hiring, cash flow, customers, and fires. I asked him a simple question:…

I realised this the hard way. In the back seat of a cab, half listening to a podcast ad. The host was talking about a product I might actually need. And then came the speech: We started this company because we believed the market was broken. We spent years perfecting the solution. We built a…

Once upon a time, and forgive me for starting like a fairy tale, because context matters, and the oldest job in the world was, well, storytelling. Around campfires, under stars, passing down wisdom, warnings, and wacky origin myths about why the buffalo never came out on Tuesday, and why camels have a hump. Fast forward…

When I began my career in the late 90s, I pitched a perfect deck to a prospect. Every slide had vision. Every slide had innovation. Every slide had customer-centricity. And then someone asked a brutally simple question: What is the guarantee that you’ll be in business for the next three years? The temperature in the…

In the first edition, I spoke about why one person’s story beats any other narrative. You can read the first edition here. Today, I want to make it usable. So here’s a simple template you can copy-paste the next time you want to write a case study, a LinkedIn post, a pitch opener, a change…

I’ve learned this the hard way: if I want people to care, I must first give them someone to hold. Not a segment. Not a funnel. Not “our users.” Not “the market.” A person. Because the moment a story becomes about everyone, it often becomes about no one. And this isn’t some poetic preference. It’s…