Leadership and Storytelling

There are many methods and tools available in literature that improve and intensify influence of leaders on their followers. Storytelling is one of the most efficient. When used properly it helps the leader to explain his ideas to his constituents, to share his knowledge with them, to build shared vision and settle conflicts peacefully. Storytelling is the tool that addresses emotions of people not their rational mind. It has the potential to overcome barriers people build to protect themselves against the external world and new ideas. This article provides the theoretical background for future research on leadership and storytelling. First it discusses the problematic of leadership, than it gives an overview on what is story and storytelling and finally it makes the theoretical research on the link between leadership and storytelling. Hypothesis of future research is enclosed. The article also includes examples from practice on how leaders work with stories and storytelling.