Because our lives are comprised of and lived in stories, leadership can be more effective when we take into account what those we lead are saying. This means a careful listening to history and determining the boundaries erected by a story. Narrative Leadership is the willingness to learn the storied history of people and their organization then deliberately and cooperatively using those stories to fashion a future.

Narrative leadership is a method and as such adaptable to all organizations. Generally, the term means two things. The first is to create or introduce change by relating the change initiative to stories. The second is to see that an organization has a story or stories that define it. In this use, before any change is initiated the leader will determine those stories and how they may impact what is proposed. Narrative leadership can be used in any organization. It is best used where change can take effect over time.

Saturday, April 4, 2009


We've all heard it before: the more things stay the same the more they change. Perhaps this has risen to a truism because it is true. Change is here to stay. People change yet feel that the systems or organizations that we're a part should never. And some, seemingly don't. I think you would be hard pressed to find a single organization that has not changed in some way, even the most durable and venerable around us. The most enduring has in myriad ways changed since its founding. Not all change is dramatic nor must it be extensive to be change. I believe that incremental change is easier for organization members to accept than that to its entire direction. To accomplish change of this magnitude it is necessary to restory the organization. This can be the work of narrative leadership.
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