Storytelling as a Tool for Conscious Leadership & Executive Influence
Why Storytelling Matters
We’ve all heard of Malala Yousafzai.
But did you know that long before we knew Malala, nonprofits, NGOs, and global education advocates spent decades publishing reports and statistics about the millions of girls worldwide denied access to school?
The numbers were staggering. Spreadsheets of enrollment gaps, charts on literacy rates, and UN briefings full of data were ubiquitous. But as important as that data was, it didn’t break through.
It didn’t capture hearts, and it didn’t mobilize change.
Then came Malala. A single teenager with a name, a face, and a story. She wasn’t a statistic, she was a girl who loved learning, was attacked for it, and refused to be silent. Her story traveled faster and farther than the reports ever had. It galvanized leaders, inspired legislation, and moved millions.
Malala’s story did what decades of data couldn’t: it made the world care.
Why Storytelling Matters for Leaders
Facts inform.
Stories transform.
At your level, leadership isn’t just about setting strategy – it’s about shaping the story that gives strategy meaning.
Too often, we assume people make decisions based on logic. Data and directives may tell people what to do, but story tells them why it matters and what their role is in creating change. People need to see themselves in the narrative, understand the stakes, feel the tension, and believe in the resolution.
That’s why the most effective leaders use story to:
Create a shared narrative: Align your people around a shared sense of purpose and potential.
Build cultural momentum: Spark energy that inspires action throughout the organization.
Inspire commitment: Move people beyond compliance into conviction.
Make change feel possible: Frame transformation in ways that feel human and achievable. Help people see their values reflected in the desired outcome and what role they could play in the creation of their desired future.
Without story, even the best strategy can stall.
With story, leaders don’t just set direction, they create the meaning that mobilizes people to follow.
How to Do It: Speak to the Elephant, Guide the Rider
Think of it this way: We all have a part of us that knows what we should do — the logical, rational side that plans and analyzes — and then there’s the part of us that actually drives action — the emotional, motivated side that decides whether we do the thing.
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls these the rider and the elephant:
The elephant is our emotional core, motivated by purpose, connection, and meaning.
The rider is our rational brain, logical, analytical, and guided by data.
In leadership as in life, you won’t move anything that doesn’t want to be moved. And you certainly won’t move an elephant by talking only to the rider. But once the elephant is in motion, the rider can help steer.
At the executive level, your job isn’t just steering the rider, it’s moving the elephant — creating the emotional connection that makes people want to act, not just know what to do.
Move the Elephant: Somebody Wanted, But, Then, So.
You might be thinking, “But I’m not a storyteller! How can I make this work for me?” You’re not alone.
One of the most powerful (and simplest!) storytelling tools executives can use is the “Somebody Wanted, But, Then, So” structure. It gives your message shape, urgency, and purpose. Better yet, it’s the natural shape most stories take.
The Conscious Storytelling Framework:
Somebody – The protagonist.
Who’s at the heart of this story? Your people? Your customers?
Make them relatable. Make us care.
Wanted – The aspiration.
What did they hope for, need, or aspire to?
Desire is emotional. It creates connection, meaning, and shared stakes.
But – The obstacle.
What’s in the way, or, why can’t they have it?
This is the tension, the pain point, or the barrier that prevented them from achieving what they wanted. This makes the story matter.
Then – The turning point.
What changed everything? What escalated the stakes or made the status quo unacceptable?
Inflection points drive urgency. They show us why the status quo can’t last and invite people into a new future, together.
So – The resolution.
What must happen now? What actions need to be taken, and what is the path forward?
Resolution creates clarity. It points the way forward with conviction.
Move the Elephant: Conscious Storytelling in Action
Here’s an example of Conscious Storytelling in the leadership context:
Our top talent, the managers and directors we count on to drive the business forward, come to us energized, with bold ideas and a hunger to make a real difference. Meet Jordan and Taylor, two high-potential leaders in our Ascent program for rising executives.
They wanted to learn, grow, and create meaningful impact for the community we serve when they joined our team. They were excited to experiment with new approaches, shape our collective strategy, and feel the impact of our work in real time.
But instead of being empowered to lead, they were buried in meetings, overloaded with urgent tasks, and found themselves stuck in a department that didn’t value their risk-taking or desire for continuous improvement. CYA culture took over, and survival mode became their norm.
Then the cracks started to show. Essential improvement projects stalled, morale dropped, and they watched highly innovative senior leaders walk out the door, taking their best ideas and clients with them to organizations that promised them room to breathe and grow. They watched as teammates who stayed began to disengage, doing their jobs without the spark or creativity they were hired for.
So the path forward is clear: if we want to keep high-potential leaders like Jordan and Taylor, we need to redesign systems to create space, autonomy, and psychological safety. If we truly value our people and the innovative impact they offer, we must create the conditions that make this possible–and sustainable.
This story transforms data on burnout into the stories of leaders who we care about, resonate with, and feel an intrinsic desire to support.
This isn’t just a storytelling device, it’s a fundamental leadership tool in your influence tool-belt: The Conscious Storytelling Framework helps you communicate the need for change, define the vision, and galvanize action in a way that truly moves.
Once you begin to see the general shape such narratives take, you’ll notice it everywhere. Storytelling, and the arc above, are natural parts of human connection — sharing stories in ways that tug at each other’s heartstrings — and with sufficient intentional practice, will become a cornerstone of your executive influence toolkit.
Guide the Rider: Where Data Strengthens the Story
Once the elephant is moving, the rider needs direction.
Emotion is a powerful driver, but isn’t always specific. Left to individual interpretation, passion can scatter into competing priorities and personal interpretations driven by individual values.
Data provides focus. It channels energy into aligned actions, clarifying the scale and urgency of the problem, and validating the strategy for solving the problem.
Consider this example:
The story: A corporate partner approaches us to let us know they absolutely love our product, but don’t trust us anymore. They’ll be phasing out of the partnership and contract over the next year.
The data: Operations data reveals that on-time delivery of product has dropped 22% in the last year, and 36% in the last quarter alone. Talent data reveals that we’ve lost two senior operations staff and full third of our production team. The finance team reports that this has cost us an estimated $4.2M in penalties and lost contracts over the past 12 months, and will result in $2M more next year.
The story is chilling. The data adds shape, scale, and context to the narrative that already matters.
Pairing emotion with evidence creates movement and direction.
Elephants Can’t Read – Leveraging The Power of Neural Coupling
Many of our leaders come to us saying, “I’ve presented the data! Quarter after quarter, and nothing changes!”
But nothing changes because elephants can’t read.
The average professional is estimated to process the equivalent of 74 gigabytes of information every day. This is far too much information to process or to hold onto. Rather than spending our limited energy remembering every license plate on our commute, the brain chooses to spend energy on the things that matter—those that elicit big feelings, and those that are connected to people and things that matter to us.
But when we interact with narratives, multiple parts of our brains are engaged. Our neurons start to sync with the storyteller’s. This is called neural coupling. People don’t just hear the words, they begin to experience them. Stress hormones evoked during a powerful story sharpen attention, dopamine builds anticipation, and oxytocin triggers empathy.
Our amygdalas scan for emotionally charged moments and potential danger, allow us to form vivid memories of the event, and connect with the narrative on an emotional level When multiple areas of the brain are engaged, the hippocampus—which stores short-term memories—is more likely to convert the experience of hearing a story into a long-term memory.
Elephants and amygdalas don’t care about KPIs and won’t be moved by data. They’ve not yet been convinced the data matters, and unimportant data is discarded from memory.
And quite frankly, neither do our nervous systems. Our nervous systems respond to high stakes, urgency, and the possibility of a different future.
Storytelling is incredibly powerful because it speaks directly to the elephant, creating emotional connection, urgency, and clarity around what matters and why. Then data comes in to reinforce and steer, validating their decision and building confidence.
For conscious leaders, this means we can work with our natural biology, tapping into our hardwiring for social connection and empathy, and get great results, too.
Storytelling as a Conscious Leadership Practice
Storytelling is more than a communication tactic — it’s a conscious leadership choice.
When conscious leaders choose stories, we are using the power of story to connect, empower, and align.
Rather than spinning narratives, conscious storytelling is intentional and values-driven. It turns leadership into an act of co-creation, where people see themselves in the narrative and feel safe to step into it. Story-led leadership shifts teams from compliance (“I have to”) to true commitment (“I want to”). It creates the conditions where people invest in the mission because they believe in it–deeply.
When leaders practice storytelling consistently, and speak with vulnerability, clarity, and narrative purpose, they foster:
Emotional Connection: People feel seen, valued, and part of something bigger.
Shared Vision & Purpose: A clear “why” drives the “what.”
Shared Identity: Leaders reinforce cultural DNA through narrative.
Aligned Behavior: Story translates values into action cues people can follow.
Momentum: Energy that sustains itself even through uncertainty.
All of these things are crucial parts of conscious leadership. And the best part is, it’s immediately actionable.
Practical Guidance for Executives
Here are a few ways to start applying story-driven leadership right now:
In the boardroom, create influence by starting with a story from the perspective of a client. Even better, have the client to come in and speak for herself.
In town halls, invite employees to share their stories. Guide the narrative by asking questions that elicit the “Somebody Wanted, But, Then, So” arc to share their challenges and successes.
During strategy sessions, anchor what’s happening and why it matters, then look to the data for direction.
Most importantly, end with a clear invitation: What’s next? What can we do now?
When we lead with stories, we tap into the things that make us human–—connection, teamwork, social bonds, and emotion.
Leadership is far more than setting strategy and directing action, it’s about shaping the story people are a part of, and creating a common future you are creating together.
Ready to Lead with Story?
If you want to move your organization forward, don’t just speak to the rider. Connect with the elephant.
Want help making it second nature?
Let’s talk.
