Governance
Leaders And Compelling Stories: Catalyst For Change
By Prof. Kellen Kiambati
All executive leaders looking to introduce a new strategy or even new ways of working, should invest time to develop and share change stories that are relevant, compelling, credible, convincing and relatable enough to motivate their employees to act in a positive way. When a change story is properly explained to all employees it can help differentiate between inertia and inspiration because they are able to make sense and relate with the proposed change. Telling a compelling story with audience-oriented narrative is an indicator that the leader is fully aware of where he or she is leading people to.
Research has shown that almost half of exiting employees cite careless and uninspiring leadership as the main reason for exit. This is largely not because leaders do not know or are not sure of the change they are introducing but because they fail to factor what matters to people. Usually the change will start with a high momentum but after sometime the fire goes off and the change becomes synonymous with what people do not like for example job cuts and cost cutting measures.
Communication plays an important role and no leader driving change should under invest in communication that is empathetic and inspiring. In fact, the inspiration should be viewed as an investment to enable leaders calculate return on inspiration resulting from employee engagement and actions. This kind of ROI is high when leaders ignite passion, spark creativity, and motivate individuals to contribute in an enduring way.
It therefore automatically follows that storytelling is one of the fundamental skills top executives must master if they are looking to take people on a compelling journey to the future. Employees who are convinced their leaders are empathetic report high motivation and less burnout. The idea is not to only have top executives tell stories that communicate logic and business-level benefits behind a strategy, but also consciously consider what employees and by extension other key stakeholders might think or feel about the change. It is important to also demarcate employees so as to provide
No leader driving change should under invest in communication that is empathetic and inspiring. In fact, the inspiration should be viewed as an investment to enable leaders calculate return on inspiration resulting from employee engagement and actions. This kind of ROI is high when leaders ignite passion, spark creativity, and motivate individuals to contribute in an enduring way.
unique perspectives that will resonate with each group with a view to bridge the gap between where the employees are and where the leader hopes to take them.
The meeting point is the overlap between the leader’ s change strategy which may include establishing a more efficient operating model or creating shareholder value and employees’ considerations such as professional identity, ways of working, work environment, and opportunities for advancement. It is at the point of overlap that the required shifts are determined and also the positives and negatives expected on the journey. This approach will give people a reason to believe in the change and can create a desire to play a role in it.
In conclusion, it is vital to remember there is no easy formula for bringing a story to life as it is both an art and science. However, understanding the employee’ s emotions and making the story real for them is more likely to engage, inspire, and lead to action. It takes leaders agreeing to be authentic and vulnerable. When leaders articulate why they care about a change, express their hopes and concerns honestly, and make high commitments to lead the way, employees will more likely remember and be inspired by their message leading employees to act in a way that logic and data cannot.
Prof. Kellen Kiambati holds a BA- HRM from Kenyatta University, MBA from the Kenya Methodist University and a PhD in Business Administration with a focus in Strategic Management from JKUAT. She is a member of the Institute of Human Resource Management of Kenya. She can be reached via: Kellenkiambati @ gmail. com.
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