A young manager told me about the day she nearly quit her job. A major restructuring had left her team reeling. As targets shifted overnight, colleagues departed and rumors spread faster than facts. “I felt like I was living in a storm without a compass,” she said.

What changed her mind wasn’t a new strategy document or a revised set of KPIs. It was a story. Her CEO gathered the organization and described the firm’s history of surviving upheavals, linking today’s challenges to a longer arc of resilience and renewal. For the first time in months, people could see themselves as part of something bigger. “I didn’t just understand the plan,” the manager said. “After listening to what he had to say, I was committed.”

Stories do that. They transmit values and help us build meaning. They’re not simply about informing but about moving people. And in doing so, they influence the way we see ourselves, each other, and the organization.

Taming chaos

In business, stories also provide structure, making sense of what would otherwise feel fragmented. This ability becomes especially important when an organization undergoes crisis or change.

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