Storytelling, Leadership and the Search for Meaning at Work

Every organisation tells stories – whether it realises it or not. They show up in leadership updates, strategy decks, recruitment pages, investor conversations, crisis responses, and the casual way people describe where they work and why they stay.

The real question isn’t whether stories are being told. It’s whether those stories feel coherent, credible and meaningful to the people who matter most.

Recently, there’s been growing interest in storytelling as a formal organisational capability. In some markets, that conversation has taken shape around new senior roles focused on narrative, meaning and communication. In others, it’s emerging more quietly through leadership development, culture work, employer branding and reputation management. What’s driving this isn’t a trend. It’s a shift.

Meaning has become a leadership responsibility

Work has changed. People are navigating greater complexity, faster change and higher levels of uncertainty than ever before, often alongside personal questions about values, purpose and balance. In that context, clarity matters.

Employees, clients and stakeholders increasingly want to understand:

• What is this organisation really here to do?

• How do decisions get made?

• What does leadership stand for when things are difficult?

• Where do I fit in all of this?

These aren’t communications questions. They’re leadership ones.

Storytelling becomes important not because organisations want to sound better, but because people are trying to make sense of their work and the systems they’re part of.

From messaging to meaning

Traditional communications often start with what an organisation wants to say. Storytelling starts somewhere else – with what people care about, worry about, and are trying to understand. It recognises that meaning isn’t delivered through slogans or perfectly crafted messages, but through coherence over time.

When storytelling works well, it:

• Connects strategy to lived experience

• Helps people see how their role contributes to something larger

• Acknowledges complexity rather than smoothing it away

• Builds trust by aligning words with actions

In this sense, storytelling isn’t about persuasion. It’s about sense-making.

Why this matters more in an AI-driven world

As technology accelerates the production of content, words themselves become less scarce and less valuable. What does become valuable is judgement, context and human insight.

People are increasingly adept at spotting generic language, over-polished narratives and content that feels disconnected from reality. At the same time, they’re more open to organisations that speak plainly, honestly and with intent. In an age of abundance, meaning is what differentiates.

The internal story is as important as the external one

Many organisations focus storytelling outward – on brand, profile and reputation. But some of the most significant work happens inside.

Shared stories help teams:

• Understand change rather than resist it

• Navigate uncertainty with greater confidence

• Build connection across functions and disciplines

• Develop a sense of belonging and shared direction

Where internal narratives are fragmented, people fill the gaps themselves. Where they’re aligned, organisations move with greater momentum and trust.

Storytelling isn’t a role. It’s a capability.

For most organisations, storytelling doesn’t belong to one person or job title. It’s a collective leadership capability – shaped by how decisions are explained, how priorities are set, how trade-offs are acknowledged, and how consistently values show up in practice.

It lives in:

• Leadership conversations

• Strategy and governance

• Culture and Employer Value Proposition

• Reputation and stakeholder relationships

And it only works when it’s grounded in clarity.

The Fernly perspective

At Fernly, we see storytelling as part of the work of leadership – not a layer applied afterwards.

Our role is often to help organisations slow down just enough to:

• Clarify what they’re really trying to do

• Surface assumptions or misalignment

• Develop shared language leaders can actually use

• Translate strategy into narratives that feel true, not performative

Because when meaning is clear, communication becomes simpler. And when the story holds internally, it travels far more credibly externally.

In a complex world, storytelling isn’t about saying more. It’s about helping people understand what matters – and why.