MENTORS MAGAZINE | EDITION 2 | 41

The fact that people are wired to react so
strongly to stories should motivate business
leaders to develop their storytelling skills.
But what business situations call for a story?

You might have guessed the answer—it de-
pends. It depends on both the situation and
what you’d like to accomplish in the situa-
tion. The situation might be a staff meeting
where you’re introduced to the people on
your new team, for example. As their new
boss, your objective might be to get them to

like and re-

spect you and to start dismantling the barri-

ers of mistrust and uncertainty. Another situ-

ation might be that members of your team

have lost enthusiasm for their work, and

your objective is to restore their engage-

ment and give them purpose, so they under-

stand the “why” of what they’re spending

most of their waking hours doing. Or maybe

valuable members of your team feel unap-

preciated or don’t get the credit they de-

serve. In that situation, your objective may

Three Types of Stories Every

Leader Should Master

With Harrison Monarth