Once Again, Story Trumps Data.
More than 800,000 people have been laid off this year with little public outcry. Yet when Jimmy Kimmel was suspended, outrage spilled into boycotts and canceled subscriptions. Why? Because people connect to stories, not numbers. Data can always be countered with more data. A story reaches belief and identity.
That’s what transformed Ocean Spray’s Kenosha plant in 2011. Their new plant manager didn’t start with charts. He showed employees a picture of a rusty Volkswagen—how leadership saw them—and a Porsche Carrera GT—who they could become. Progress wasn’t measured in numbers but in puzzle pieces that slowly covered the Volkswagen. The story built pride, alignment, and belief. And results followed: safety incidents dropped 75 percent, costs plummeted, morale soared.
Leaders often hide behind dashboards because numbers feel safe and concrete. But metrics alone don’t inspire change. People won’t transform because of a quarterly report. They will only change when they see themselves in a story that matters. Storytelling is not a soft skill—it is the bridge between data and results.
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