Most strategies die on slides. Big vision, smart charts… zero heartbeat!

If you want people to do something differently, give them a story they can believe in — not another deck to file.

Humans are WIRED for story. It’s how we’ve always made sense of change, danger, opportunity. The medium’s evolved (campfire → town hall → Teams), but the job is the same: Help me understand where we’re going and why my bit matters.

And yes, this is straight out of the book: purpose is your invisible electricity; stories are the cables that carry it. Human WhyFi only works when the signal’s felt, not just announced.

Why stories work (and spreadsheets don’t)

• Meaning beats data. People move when they feel the point, not when they’re shown the chart.
• Brains sync. The right story creates connection and shared understanding; it’s social glue.
• They travel. A simple, truthful story will outrun any policy email.

Change the stories, change the climate

Every team runs on folklore: “how we do things round here.” If you don’t set the story, the rumour mill will.
Leaders are meaning-makers. Your words and your behaviour set the soundtrack. When the story and the behaviour match, trust compounds. When they don’t, the battery dies.

Make strategy human:

Skip the jargon. Use this three-step ‘flow’ to turn strategy into action:

1. Because… (the big why)
   “Because we exist to make complex healthcare decisions easier.”
2. So now… (the change + what it means)
   “So now we’re fixing authorisations at the first touchpoint, not the fourth.”
3. Which means… (the impact people can feel)
   “Which means 500 more members get treated sooner this month.”

Short. Concrete. Human. That’s an approach people can repeat without the slide.

Dodge the “tapper vs listener” trap

You know the tune in your head; they only hear the taps. Don’t assume shared context.

• Swap abstractions for examples.
• Say it like you would to a smart friend outside your industry.
• Test it: can a team lead retell it in 30 seconds without losing the plot?

Make it travel (without turning it into theatre)

• One message, many voices. Headquarters sets the spine; local leaders add lived detail.
• Rituals > roadshows. Open huddles with the “Because–So now–Which means” beat. Weekly, not yearly.
• Show, don’t sell. Tell short wins where the story became a better outcome for a real person.
• Consistency is the credibility. If the behaviour doesn’t match the story, the story loses. Fast.

Final thought

Strategies inform. Stories transform.
If you want movement, make people feel the destination and their part in it. That’s how you shift a team climate from compliance to commitment.