We have to piece them together ourselves from the bits of information that float to us on the streams of information we all swim in.

With the fragmentation of experience, including our media, guiding narratives

Guiding narratives used to be dictated by the received wisdom of our culture, which was a blend of family history, national history, folklore, and religion.

understanding of how power and influence really work.

When asked how he planned to restore the international reputation of France, the great diplomat Charles‐Maurice de Talleyrand said, “I don't need secretaries as much as I need saucepans!”5 Talleyrand was famous for his

Psychology researchers at Johns Hopkins University discovered that the most favored of over 180 Super Bowl ads were the ones structured like stories. The product or brand being advertised didn't matter. To be loved, an ad only needed this basic structure: a beginning, middle, and end, with some conflict and tension along the way.

make it clear to ourselves.

By making our purpose clear to others, we

On an organizational level, storytelling requires us to find new language and images to represent our goals and our purpose that can be understood by a wider audience, not just the small circles that already speak our jargon.