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Stories, well-designed, drive momentum. They compel us to lean in, to come along for the ride. To believe in an amazing ending.
In some ways, leaders, well-designed, do the same.
Leadership should inspire us to want to change. To be on that journey toward something new and better. To crave an ending that excites us.
These were my thoughts recently while I listened to an interview with fantasy and sci-fi author Brandon Sanderson. While dragons and wizards aren’t my thing, workplace intel really is.
See, Sanderson’s secret to telling a killer story is simply this: Make a promise. Show progress. Deliver a payoff.
Which is a gorgeously succinct capture of what I wish leaders would do.
Because too often I’m still seeing leaders spend months slicing, dicing and analyzing the employee engagement data, or plotting out every detail of a change for the next 12 – 18 months. There are so many damn promises.
And so little progress.
And the payoff?
Ugh.
We need to do better. We owe our teams more. And – when we open things up and invite them into the story? We co-create an ending that is so much better.
So what if we tried it this way instead?
Make the Promise.
What’s this story about?
Wherever you want or need to take your team – whatever change is launching or engagement strategy being unleashed, share it simply. In a way that’s compelling, sure, but mostly authentic. Realistic.
Make a promise that is true and reasonable above all else. Say what you know and what you don’t. Show them what they can count on from you.
Invite them into something they may or may not love, but that surely they can believe and anticipate.
Show the Progress.
Plan, but just a little. Then invite them in. You don’t need to know all the steps for the next 12 months. You need lily pads – milestones. Not every twist and turn.
Let your team’s ideas inform the path forward. They have access to intel and insights you don’t. They have firsthand knowledge of customer pain points and spots of friction.
So bring them to the table. Build together. Implement iteratively. Don’t wait for progress – make it together.
This is how we build momentum and trust.
Deliver the Payoff.
The thing about a great story? The payoff isn’t just at the end. It delivers in micro-bits all the way through.
Find your small wins. Recognize them. Celebrate them.
Keep an eye on the finish line. But don’t hold your breath until you cross it.
As you launch each tiny experiment, invite each small behavior change. If it goes well? Celebrate the win. If it goes poorly, dissect it. Learn from it. And celebrate the new intel.
Leadership Is Storytelling
This isn’t just about managing change—it’s about everything. Priorities. Culture. Engagement. The way you communicate determines whether people feel like passive observers or active contributors.
So stop keeping them in the dark.
Make the promise. Show the progress. Deliver the payoff.
Take something you’ve been holding onto—an idea, a plan, a strategy—and start sharing it before it’s perfect. See what happens when people get to be part of the story.
That’s how you build trust. That’s how you create momentum. And that’s how you lead.
Related: From the Start: How Co-Creation Fosters Robust Innovations